Nearly 159 million Brazilians vote Sunday in a presidential runoff that polls show tied, a day after more than a million Lula supporters packed Copacabana beach.
The big picture: Flavio Bolsonaro won the first round on October 4 by 47% to 45%. Since the return of democracy to Brazil in the 1980s, no first-round loser has managed to bounce back and win. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term.
- Red-clad crowds packed the 2.5-mile Copacabana beach on Saturday under a fierce sun. Rio's city hall put the turnout at about 1.1 million. Lula then attended an even larger rally on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo.
Between the lines: Lula has climbed in the polls in recent days amid a run of scandals involving his rival. Most analysts still see Bolsonaro as the slight favorite, running on a promise to tackle chronic violent crime with an iron fist.
- "The people have woken up," said Josias Silva, a 61-year-old truck driver who carried a homemade sign reading: "Lula re-elected. Tomorrow will be a new day."
Zoom in: Many marchers belong to "Lula’s Army," a 10 million member WhatsApp group created after the first-round defeat. Large crowds of Bolsonaro supporters also filled the streets, including in Belo Horizonte.
- Marta Moraes, a 59-year-old restaurateur at the Rio rally, said the vote was about Bolsonarismo more than left against right. She said she lost four members of her family to the elder Bolsonaro’s handling of Covid.
What's next: Minas Gerais is the bellwether. Every winning presidential candidate has carried the state, and Bolsonaro led there by just under 5% in the first round.
Why it matters: Jair Bolsonaro, the candidate’s father, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022. Reports in the Brazilian press suggest several of his fellow plotters could be given top military and police jobs if his son wins.
