Lula and Bolsonaro Make Final Pitches in Brazil's Tight Presidential Race

Final arguments were made on Saturday by the two leading candidates in Brazil's presidential election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, ahead of Sunday's runoff vote. Both candidates rallied tens of thousands of supporters in an effort to sway the remaining undecided voters.

Recent polls suggest a close contest, with the election potentially decided by a small number of votes. A victory for Bolsonaro would align Brazil with other Latin American nations that have recently elected leaders with ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump. Conversely, a win for Lula would establish greater distance between Brazil and Washington.

Lula, 77, who trailed Bolsonaro by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round, held one of his largest rallies on Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue. Bolsonaro, 43, focused on demonstrations in his home state of Rio de Janeiro and in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, a state that has historically predicted the nation's presidential election outcome.

These final rallies marked the culmination of an intensified campaign effort. Lula, who also held a morning rally on Rio's Copacabana beach, stated that "the people have taken it upon themselves to lead the campaign." Since the first round of voting on Oct. 4, significant leftist demonstrations have occurred in Brazil, including in areas previously favoring Bolsonaro's supporters.

Nearly 160 million Brazilians are eligible to vote. In the first round, over 33 million voters, or 21% of the electorate, abstained. Voters who did not cast a ballot in the initial round are still able to vote in the runoff, though they may face a small fine if they do not provide a valid justification.

Brazilians cast their votes using electronic voting machines, and results are typically announced within hours of polls closing.