Lula and Bolsonaro clash in final scramble for Brazil presidency
Por Agence France-Presse — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Brazil World Americas Lula and Bolsonaro clash in final scramble for Brazil presidency
Incumbent leftist and far-right rival locked in a dead heat as mudslinging and a religious row dominate the campaign finale
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Agence France-Presse Published: 2:21pm, 2 Oct 2026 Updated: 2:33pm, 2 Oct 2026
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his election rival Flavio Bolsonaro are leaving no controversy unturned in their last-ditch efforts to discredit each other and win over voters ahead of Sunday’s nail-biter election.
A campaign dominated by scandals and insults has done little to ease the deep political polarisation in Latin America’s biggest economy, one of the last major leftist bastions in the region.
The tight race pits Lula, 80, against the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of Donald Trump who has backed a wave of victorious right-wing candidates in Latin America.
Trump said Thursday he was watching Brazil’s election “very closely”.
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