Brazilians go to the polls on Sunday to elect their new president in a closely fought run-off election.
The choice is between 80-year-old incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a left-winger seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, and right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45.
Bolsonaro is the son of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. The elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro Starts as Favourite
Bolsonaro came first in the first round of voting on 4 October. US President Donald Trump described the result as a “very big” victory.
No candidate who trailed after the first round has ever overturned the deficit and won the second round.
At his final campaign rallies, Bolsonaro's supporters were jubilant. They said they were confident he would bring change through a promised tough crackdown on organised crime, as well as tax and public spending cuts.
On the eve of the vote, he campaigned in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. The state has been a must-win for any presidential hopeful since the 1980s.
“The time is almost here,” Bolsonaro told supporters in a social media video. “There are only a few hours left before we shape the future of our nation for the next 30 or 40 years.”
He has also pledged to release his father, who is currently serving his sentence under house arrest due to ill health.
In Barra de Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, where Jair Bolsonaro has a home, supporters rallied dressed in the national colours. One told BBC News: “Brazil needs change, and Flávio is the person that represents that today, after so many years of the Left destroying the economy and the country.”
Another said she most liked Flávio Bolsonaro's promise to “end violence in Brazil, end terrorism, narco-trafficking, and to reduce interest rates.”
Lula Seeks to Mobilise Voters
After Bolsonaro's first-round result, Lula's supporters organised large rallies. They aim to boost turnout, after 33 million people did not vote earlier this month.
On Saturday, Lula told a large crowd on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach that the election was a matter of “sovereignty.” He said voters would choose between the candidate who kissed the Brazilian flag and the one who kissed the American flag.
Lula's administration has accused the US of interfering in Brazil's election. Washington has called the allegation “baseless.”
“We're going to win the election for one simple reason: it's true that the people want change [but] they want to move forward,” Lula said. “They don't want to go backward.”
A supporter named Roberta told BBC News: “This movement is to show we have strength. We've woken up, we're coming to the street to make a difference and turn the vote around.”
A man wearing Brazil's yellow and green football shirt said Bolsonaro supporters had “appropriated” the jersey, but Lula supporters were taking it back.
Key Issues
Lula and his Workers' Party have framed the election as a “battle for democracy.” They argue that Jair Bolsonaro's conviction for coup-plotting shows that “Bolsonarismo” threatens Brazil's democratic institutions.
Lula has said Brazil “does not fit into anyone's backyard.” This appears to be a reference to what Trump has called the “Donroe Doctrine,” his administration's national security strategy, which holds that US dominance in the Western Hemisphere should not be interfered with.
Bolsonaro argues that working with Washington to combat powerful criminal gangs will restore state sovereignty in gang-controlled areas. He has also labelled the Workers' Party as corrupt, citing financial scandals that plagued the party for years and turned many voters against it.
Lula plans to watch the results in São Paulo on Sunday evening. Bolsonaro is set to be in the capital, Brasília, where his father is under house arrest.
