Brazil's presidential runoff candidates spent the final day of campaigning on Saturday courting undecided voters, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva marching along Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beachfront and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro holding a large rally in Belo Horizonte, according to Clarin.com. The two face each other in Sunday's second round, a contest the outlet describes as the tightest in Brazil's recent history.
Speaking to reporters before setting off along the famous seafront, Lula said he had no doubt about the outcome. Clarin.com reports that the president told journalists he would be elected to the office again on Sunday.
Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL) and the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, chose Minas Gerais's capital for his closing event. On arriving in Belo Horizonte, he invoked a local saying about the state's electoral weight, telling supporters that whoever wins São Paulo and Minas Gerais wins Brazil, according to Clarin.com. The outlet notes the remark appeared to reference his first-round victories in those two states, the country's largest and second-largest electoral colleges, on October 4.
He was joined at the rally by Nikolas Ferreira, a 30-year-old federal deputy from Minas Gerais who drew 3.1 million votes, and by São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas, Clarin.com reports.
Why it matters
Clarin.com frames the vote as consequential well beyond Brazil's borders, describing the country as a continent-sized nation bordering ten countries in the region and the world's fourth-largest democracy. Any shift in Brazilian politics, the outlet argues, will be felt across South America — and especially in Argentina.
That neighborly interest runs in both directions. According to Clarin.com, the result will shape which regional allies Argentina's government and its opposition can count on, with the country's own presidential election due in 2027. The outlet reports that President Javier Milei and the Peronist opposition are following the race closely with opposing stakes in the outcome.
Milei himself weighed in on Saturday. Clarin.com reports that he renewed his attacks on Lula, calling him a "thief and a liar" the day before the runoff. The criticism followed a controversy over a remark about donkey meat consumption in Argentina referenced in the outlet's coverage.
A polarized race with no clear favorite
Clarin.com describes the contest as unprecedented in Brazilian electoral history for its closeness, arguing that the absence of a clear front-runner is more than a statistical curiosity. The outlet characterizes the country as split in two, and says the polarization between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro weighs most heavily on the Workers' Party (PT) leader.
The first round on October 4 left Flávio Bolsonaro ahead with 47 percent of the vote against Lula's 45 percent, according to Clarin.com.
Lula's Saturday program combined a digital push with the street march. Clarin.com reports that he spoke during a live broadcast on a WhatsApp channel called the "Lula Army," which the outlet says has more than 10 million members. In those remarks he said he was confident of winning what he called a "war" against the senator, whom he described as a "militiaman." The outlet also reports that Lula offered a mock military salute to his supporters and said he was looking forward to the Copacabana event.
The "militiaman" label has become a flashpoint. Clarin.com's coverage includes a headline quoting Lula rejecting the term being turned back on him, in which he says he will not allow a militiaman to call him "nine fingers" — a reference to the loss of part of a finger in a workplace accident decades ago.
Support from abroad and from across the border
The runoff has drawn commentary from prominent figures in the region. Clarin.com reports that former Chilean president Gabriel Boric posted a lengthy message on social media on Saturday expressing his hope that Lula wins. Boric wrote that Lula has improved life for many people and is never satisfied because he believes more is possible, and he argued that in a world richer than ever, no one should be at ease while poverty persists. He also credited Lula with understanding the need to create wealth and, as a former factory worker, with insisting that it be fairly shared.
On the Argentine side, Clarin.com reports that Milei's criticism of Lula has intensified in the final stretch, while the Peronist opposition has its own reasons to watch the result closely.
Logistics and the ground game
Beyond the speeches, election authorities are in the final stages of preparing for Sunday's vote. Clarin.com's live coverage includes a report on the operation to move electronic voting machines to schools in São Paulo, part of the infrastructure behind a vote conducted entirely on digital ballots.
Both campaigns used Saturday to make their last direct appeals to voters who have not settled on a candidate, with the candidates' schedules split between Brazil's two biggest states — a choice that reflects the electoral map left by the first round.
Clarin.com's live coverage also included analysis pieces on what the election means for Argentina and on the depth of the country's divisions, alongside rolling updates from both campaign events.
Brazilians vote on Sunday, with the result expected that night. What to watch: whether the first-round margins in São Paulo and Minas Gerais hold, and how quickly the losing side signals acceptance of the outcome in a race this close.
