Brazilians choose a president on Sunday in a race between Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the jailed former president.
The big picture: Lula, 80, led a march through central Rio on Friday from the Candelaria church to Cinelandia, two sites of 1980s protests against military rule. He says a fourth term is the barrier to a Bolsonaro restoration.
- "If it weren't for me standing up to these fascists they'd easily win another election. I'm the one standing in their way," Lula told the podcast Flow.
The backstory: Jair Bolsonaro, 71, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022, and he is barred from running before 2030. He endorsed his eldest son, a sitting senator.
Zoom in: Flavio Bolsonaro has promised to pardon his father and to appoint five firmly conservative supreme court judges. His brother Eduardo, a former congressman with ties to Trump's Maga movement, is reported to want the foreign ministry.
- "Brazil is a few hours from deciding its future for the next 30, 40, 50 years," Bolsonaro said in an online broadcast, calling it the end of the Workers' party era.
By the numbers: Datafolha expects Lula near 45% on Sunday and Bolsonaro near 40%, which would force a runoff on October 25. Lula told the Rio crowd he could clear 50% and win outright.
Why it matters: Brazil is Latin America's largest democracy and its biggest economy. Lula told the crowd that no foreigner would lay a finger on Brazil's affairs, an indirect reference to claims the Trump administration is working to sway the vote.
