Lula and Bolsonaro hold final rallies on eve of Brazil runoff

Tens of thousands of supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach on Saturday, in a final show of strength a day before the country’s presidential runoff (Guardian report, via Brit Brief).

A sea of red filled the beach as the 80-year-old president waved a large Brazilian flag from a campaign truck, while in Belo Horizonte hundreds of bikers wearing yellow national football shirts roared their support for his rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Eastora).

The rallies closed a fraught campaign one day after a combative final televised debate, with both candidates seeking to flex their support in front of massive crowds (The Peninsula, AFP).

Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, took a shock first-round lead with 47 per cent of the vote to Lula’s 45 per cent. A Datafolha Institute poll this week put both candidates at 50 per cent of voting intentions (Eastora; La Nación, AP).

Sunday’s runoff will decide whether Brazil remains a leftist stronghold under Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, or swings to the right under Bolsonaro.