Brazil: Bolsonaro, who leads Lula in the polls, says "time has come for real change" through voting

Brazil's right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro voted Sunday morning and called for "real change" as Latin America's largest country went to the polls. "Brazil cannot endure another four years like this; everyone's life has gotten worse," said Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, as he left a polling station in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian right-wing leader heads into the decisive showdown against the incumbent president, the leftist Lula da Silva, with a two-point lead, according to the latest polls. Flávio Bolsonaro received 47% of the vote in the first round three weeks ago, compared to 45% for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The president began the race toward the runoff in second place, but has been gaining ground in the polls following massive street demonstrations and a strong social media campaign to mobilize the left.

On Saturday, both candidates mobilized tens of thousands of fervent supporters who filled the streets of Brazil with flags ahead of the final showdown at the polls.

Lula: "We will not allow Brazil to be anyone's backyard"

In front of Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach, a red tide—the color of Lula's Workers' Party—marched alongside the nearly 81-year-old president, who jumped into a pickup truck to the beat of the music.

"The people have to choose between someone who kisses the national flag and someone who kisses the American flag. It's a matter of sovereignty: we won't let Brazil be anyone's backyard," said Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his voice hoarser than usual after intense days of campaigning.

After Copacabana, Lula continued his walk through the crowds on a packed Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.

"We value freedom"

In Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, families and motorcyclists filled the iconic Praça da Liberdade alongside Flávio Bolsonaro, 45.

"The party currently in power wants to keep people dependent on the state. We value freedom," businessman Ebert Dorigo told AFP, echoing a common criticism among Bolsonaro supporters of Lula's social programs.

The senator then traveled to the affluent neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca, in Rio, to visit the house where his father recovered after being stabbed during the 2018 campaign that led him to the presidency. Signs reading "Lula Out" and flags of the United States and Israel stood out among the thousands of attendees, including a group of children with whom the senator took selfies upon his arrival.

He also danced and said a prayer alongside the crowd.

"They had many years to change Brazil, but they ruined it"

Wearing a Brazilian national team jersey and a green cap, Ilma Gomes de Souza, a 53-year-old teacher, told AFP that in her youth she voted for Lula because she let herself be "influenced." "They had many years to change Brazil, but they ruined it," she railed.

Flávio Bolsonaro promises a tough stance on crime, a free market, and closer ties with the United States, following in the footsteps of his father, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022.

Accusations of interference against Washington and Meta from Lula's camp

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, the right has won most of the presidential elections in the region.

Lula accuses Washington and Meta of attempting to interfere in the elections, amid a legal battle over alleged illegal actions by both campaigns on social media. The U.S. company denies the allegations.

"Nine Fingers"

Both candidates faced off on Friday in a final debate on TV Globo, where they focused more on policy proposals than in the first debate, which was marked by insults. Lula attacked his rival's inexperience, while Bolsonaro portrayed him as a politician of the past, with "ideas that no longer work."

One of the most tense moments came when the senator accused him of handing out social benefits "with one hand and taking them away with nine fingers." He was referring to the finger Lula lost in a workplace accident in his youth, when he worked as a metalworker.

Bolsonaro apologized, but on Saturday, Lula posted a photo on social media of his hand—missing its little finger—resting on the Brazilian flag: "Workers of Brazil, unite. We deserve respect."