Lula makes sovereignty central to Brazil runoff campaign against Flávio Bolsonaro
Brazil’s president is warning of foreign interference before the October 25 vote, while the Bolsonaro family denies his accusations and a close first-round result raises the stakes.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has made national sovereignty a central theme of his campaign against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff in Brazil. Lula has warned of foreign interference and accused the Bolsonaro family of putting US interests first; the family denies his accusations, Reuters reported on October 20.
The message comes after Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula in the first round in early October. AFP reported that the senator won 47% of the vote to Lula’s 45%, leaving the incumbent seeking a comeback in the final days of the race. Bolsonaro has campaigned on purchasing power and security, concerns for many of Brazil’s roughly 160 million registered voters.
How Lula is making the sovereignty case
At the United Nations General Assembly last month, Lula declared, ‘Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard.’ Reuters described the remark as a veiled reference to US President Donald Trump’s administration. Lula has since cast the election as part of a wider contest against undemocratic forces and warned of ‘foreign interference’ in the runoff.
In the candidates’ first debate, Lula accused the Bolsonaro family of being ‘subordinate to American interests.’ He pointed to meetings between family members and Trump in May, before the United States imposed tariffs on Brazilian products. Lula has also called the tariffs part of a ‘plot’ driven by electoral aims and accused the senator’s brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the US, of inciting a coup. Those are Lula’s allegations, not established findings. The family denied them, while the US State Department has denied previous accusations of election interference, Reuters reported.
Eduardo Bolsonaro described the tariffs on products including Brazilian beef, coffee and footwear as ‘bitter medicine’ last year, saying they were aimed at what he called an excessive legal campaign against his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to Reuters. The remarks help explain why US policy has become part of the domestic campaign argument.
A close race and a changed campaign
Flávio Bolsonaro is Jair Bolsonaro’s son. Reuters reported that the former president is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup following Lula’s 2022 election victory. Lula himself returned to the presidency in that election after a corruption conviction, for which he spent 580 days in prison in 2018 and 2019, was overturned.
Lula’s campaign has also changed its approach since he finished behind Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round. AFP reported that Lula brought in younger lawmakers to help him use social media and began posting selfie videos during the runoff campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro, meanwhile, pledged at a rally in Pará on Monday to restore ‘hope and the right to dream.’ Voters are due to choose between the two candidates on October 25.
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Sources and context
- For Lula, Brazil's sovereignty is at stake in final electionThe Straits Times; Reuters
- Lula or Flávio Bolsonaro's son? Brazil makes its final choiceBuenos Aires Times; AFP
- With selfies and squats, Brazil's Lula fights for one last comebackBuenos Aires Times; AFP
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.