Lula Seeks Historic Turnaround on Copacabana Before Final Vote
159 million Brazilians cast ballots Sunday in a dead heat, with no first-round loser having won a runoff since 1985.
By Carolina Wood ·
Tens of thousands of supporters gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, filling the 2.5-mile stretch in red. The crowd aimed to shift momentum for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva one day before the presidential runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro. The two candidates are tied in current polls, setting up a final contest that breaks with historical trends.
The election date is October 25, 2026. Flávio Bolsonaro took the lead in the first round on October 4, securing 47% of the vote compared to Lula's 45%. Since Brazilian democracy returned in the 1980s, a candidate who lost the initial round has never won the final vote. A Lula victory would mark the first such instance in the country's modern democratic history.
Activists in the Rio crowd unfurled a large yellow and green banner that read, "WE ARE GOING TO TURN THIS AROUND!" Josias Silva, a 61-year-old truck driver, carried a homemade sign predicting a new day under Lula re-election. He stated that student-led protests indicated the public had awakened, forecasting a victory margin exceeding 60%. Polls currently suggest a much tighter race, with most analysts viewing Bolsonaro as the slight favorite.
Lula has recently regained ground in the polls following scandals involving his opponent. Last week, the magazine Piauí reported that Flávio Bolsonaro attended a boat party during the peak of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. The party included sex workers and vaccine lobbyists seeking deals with the former president's administration. Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father, served as president from 2019 to 2022. He is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
Many voters in the Rio crowd belong to "Lula's Army," a WhatsApp group with 10 million members created after the first round. Isabella Gaze, a 64-year-old retired teacher, described the election as abnormal. Cammy Marinho, a 49-year-old DJ and activist, spent two weeks trying to persuade Bolsonaro voters and abstainers to switch sides. Heitor Lopes da Silva, 14, traveled from Duque de Caxias in a wheelchair to show support.
Bolsonaro supporters also held rallies, with thousands gathering in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. The state holds the second-largest electorate in Brazil and has historically been a key bellwether, as no candidate has won the presidency without carrying it. Bolsonaro led the first round in that state by just under 5%. Antonio Carlos Costa Jr., a 59-year-old shooting club owner, defended the candidate's security message, arguing that Flávio would continue the policy of allowing citizens to defend themselves.
Lula's supporters point to the current president's tightening of gun laws, while critics of Bolsonaro note that his earlier loosening of regulations diverted firearms to criminal gangs. Erika Cavalcante, a 43-year-old architect, carried a sign in Rio reading, "Don't let the mobsters win." The vote concludes the campaign for 159 million eligible Brazilians to choose the next leader.
