Lula Draws Massive Crowds Before Brazil's Presidential Runoff

Brazil's presidential race entered its final hours with the country deeply divided as supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered in large numbers in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, October 24, 2026, hoping to secure his reelection against right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's runoff. The contest will determine the direction of Latin America's largest country amid concerns about violent crime, corruption, household costs and the region's broader political shift to the right.

Rio de Janeiro City Hall estimated that approximately 1.1 million people attended the rally along Copacabana Beach, while Lula also appeared at a major gathering on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. Nearly 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in the runoff, after neither candidate secured an outright majority in the first round on October 4.

According to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court, Bolsonaro received approximately 2.2 million more votes than Lula in the first round. Bolsonaro won 47% of the vote, compared with Lula's 45%, overturning polling expectations that had generally favored the incumbent.

Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive presidential term after first winning the presidency in 2002. Bolsonaro, 45, is attempting to capitalize on his first-round performance and the enduring political influence of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup following his 2022 election defeat.

At the Copacabana demonstration, supporters wearing red carried signs and displayed a large yellow-and-green banner expressing confidence in a late campaign reversal. The rally also attracted young voters and members of a WhatsApp organizing group known as Lula's Army, which reportedly has 10 million members and was established after the first round to mobilize support.

Josias Silva, a 61-year-old truck driver, said the demonstrations reflected growing public engagement and described the election as a choice about Brazil's democratic future.

"The people have woken up," Silva said.

Silva said he believed younger voters understood the stakes of the contest and argued that a Bolsonaro victory could threaten democratic institutions.

"Young people know we need this victory because otherwise we will have dictatorship again – and we don't want dictatorship. We don't want hatred. We don't want guns. We want a country of love," Silva said.

Silva also predicted a decisive victory for Lula, although polling indicated a much closer contest. Political analysts considered Bolsonaro competitive because of his emphasis on public security and his appeal to voters seeking a tougher response to violent crime.

Other demonstrators said their support for Lula reflected opposition to the Bolsonaro family's political movement rather than hostility toward conservatives generally. Marta Moraes, a 59-year-old restaurateur, recalled losing four family members during the COVID-19 pandemic and blamed the previous administration's response.

"We've nothing against the right … what we're against is Bolsonarismo," Moraes said.

Cammy Marinho, a 49-year-old DJ and activist, said she had spent two weeks trying to persuade Bolsonaro voters and people who abstained in the first round to support Lula. Her efforts included conversations in bakeries, supermarkets and public transportation.

"I'm here to prevent democracy becoming extinct – which is what the Bolsonaro family wants," Marinho said.

Isabella Gaze, a 64-year-old retired teacher involved in Lula's Army, also described the election as a defense of democratic government. She disputed accusations of corruption against Lula and criticized the political movement led by the Bolsonaro family.

"Being a soldier in Lula's army … means fighting for Brazilian democracy. This isn't a normal election," Gaze said.

Meanwhile, public safety has emerged as one of the campaign's most consequential issues. A September survey by Quaest and Pax found that 28% of Brazilians identified violence as the country's biggest problem, followed by corruption at 22% and the economy at 19%, figures that highlighted the challenges facing the incumbent.

According to Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and vice president of policy at Americas Society/Council of the Americas, the issue favors Bolsonaro because his political movement has consistently emphasized a hard-line approach to crime.

Bolsonaro has proposed designating major criminal factions as terrorist organizations, expanding prison capacity and lowering the age of criminal responsibility. He has also criticized existing security policies and invoked El Salvador's approach under President Nayib Bukele as a model for more aggressive measures.

"Those who think I'm radical on public security haven't seen anything yet," Bolsonaro said on October 13.

Lula has faced pressure to demonstrate a tougher stance on crime while maintaining his party's traditional positions on rehabilitation and criminal justice. During a televised debate the previous Sunday, Bolsonaro challenged Lula over temporary prison leave. Lula defended rehabilitation but argued that serious offenders should not qualify, then questioned whether Bolsonaro would pardon his imprisoned father.

Lula has also signaled support for lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 for certain serious offenses, although he opposed including the change in a pending constitutional amendment. Winter described the shift as a significant departure from the Workers' Party's longstanding position.

"Lula is now yielding in the campaign's final days because he recognizes that this may be his biggest vulnerability," Winter said.

Economic concerns have added another challenge for Lula. Although the government can point to low unemployment and easing inflation, some voters say everyday expenses remain burdensome and that their living standards have not improved sufficiently. During Lula's first two presidential terms, a commodities boom helped lift millions of Brazilians out of poverty and into the middle class.

"The headline numbers for the economy look good," Winter said. "But everyday people keep saying that they don't feel like the economy is prospering. They feel like their standard of living has declined."

Bolsonaro's campaign has benefited from dissatisfaction over prices and crime, while Lula retains support among voters who credit his earlier administrations with social gains. The runoff also carries regional implications because a Bolsonaro victory could bring Brazil closer to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as right-wing political movements gain ground across Latin America.

Jair Bolsonaro's imprisonment remains another point of contention. Some Lula supporters fear his son could seek to secure his release and return allies of the former president to influential government positions. Reports in the Brazilian press have suggested that individuals linked to the former president's coup plot could receive senior military or police appointments under a Bolsonaro administration.

Bolsonaro has also attempted to broaden his appeal beyond traditionally conservative voters. The final contest will determine whether Lula can overcome his first-round deficit or whether Bolsonaro can convert his family's political following and public concerns about crime and affordability into a presidential victory.