Millions of Brazilians will vote on Sunday in an election dominated by two rivals: the incumbent president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former leader Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated four years ago. The two stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum, with clashing views on issues ranging from how to tackle organised crime to what kind of relationship Latin America's largest country should have with the Trump administration. The 80-year-old left-wing veteran Lula da Silva is running for a fourth and final term, warning voters that Brazil's sovereignty is at stake under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump.
The Brazilian leader has repeatedly urged the United States not to interfere in Brazil's elections. Last year, Washington slapped 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, citing, among other reasons, the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Earlier this year, the US imposed another round of tariffs, alleging unfair trading practices despite running a trade surplus, and designated Brazil's biggest drug-trafficking gangs as foreign terrorist organisations shortly after Senator Bolsonaro visited the White House.
The left-wing candidate has made the defence of Brazilian sovereignty one of the main themes of his campaign. In the days leading up to the vote, his team released a Portuguese version of Bad Bunny's song "Lo que le pasó a Hawaii", which recalls the US colonisation of Hawaii as an example of what to avoid. Lula da Silva is locked in a tight race with right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of Trump who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup d'état after his failed 2022 re-election bid.
After criss-crossing Brazil in recent weeks, the candidates are making final preparations for closing rallies to be held in São Paulo (Lula da Silva) and Rio de Janeiro (Flávio Bolsonaro). Lula will hold his final rally in the megacity of São Paulo, with slogans on T-shirts and banners reading "Lula president again" and "Brazil belongs to Brazilians". Flávio Bolsonaro, for his part, took part in a bikers' rally about 400 km away in the state of São Paulo and is ending the day with a final one in Rio de Janeiro.
His rallies have featured huge US flags and giant inflatable balloons of Trump, who does not back the senator but says he is following the Brazilian election "very closely". Jair Bolsonaro's son has campaigned on a platform of hardline security policies and fiscal austerity, branding Lula "incompetent" and highlighting the high cost of living. If he wins the election, Flávio Bolsonaro will place Brazil in the group of Latin American countries, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru, that have swung to the right in recent votes and elected Trump-friendly governments.
It has been a bruising campaign in a deeply divided nation. In a highly polarised Brazil, the candidates' policies and pledges have been overshadowed by a torrent of scandals and personal attacks as they fight for the attention of every undecided voter. During the campaign it emerged that Flávio Bolsonaro was under investigation for corruption linked to the funding of the biopic "Dark Horse" about his father, financed by jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro.
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