Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rallied massive crowds in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of a pivotal national election, positioning himself as the singular force preventing a return of far-right governance. The 80-year-old incumbent, seeking a fourth term, told a popular podcast that his candidacy represents a clear choice between his leadership and what he termed the “barbarism” of political opponents. According to speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger, He had decided to seek a historic fourth term because he believed only he could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, returning to government. I’m the one standing in their way,” Lula told a popular podcast called Flow, before adding: “It’s either me, or it’s barbarism.”. Lula, who was among those who spoke at that historic demo when he was an up-and-coming politician in his 30s, added: “Either we consolidate democracy, or we will lose it.”.
Lula’s “victory march” traversed historic city landmarks, beginning at Candelária Church—a site synonymous with the 1984 pro-democracy movement—and moving toward Cinelândia. This path mirrors the geography of the 1968 “March of the Hundred Thousand” and served as a reminder of the country’s past struggle against military dictatorship. Addressing the crowd, the president asserted that the vote is not merely about his own political future, but the survival of democratic ideals in Brazil. Hours later, Lula flew to Rio, staging what his team called a “victory march” between two highly symbolic downtown locations that played an important role in Brazil’s fight for democracy during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Including Lula, famously gathered in 1984 to demand direct presidential elections, the church is the location where more than a million people. A sea of red-clad Lula supporters marched a mile south towards Cinelândia, the scene of an equally well-known pro-democracy protest in 1968 called the March of the Hundred Thousand, from Candelária.
Concerns surrounding the election center on the potential victory of 45-year-old Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is currently serving a 27-year sentence for orchestrating a failed coup attempt following the 2022 election. Critics and supporters of the president alike fear that a victory for the younger Bolsonaro would lead to the release of coup plotters and a systematic dismantling of democratic institutions, including the judiciary.
Flávio Bolsonaro has already signaled plans to grant a pardon to his father and appoint five staunchly conservative judges to the supreme court. Furthermore, his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is reportedly eyeing a role as foreign minister. Anthropologist Luiz Eduardo Soares warned that the nation could witness a rapid erosion of democratic norms akin to the political shift seen in Hungary over the last decade.
Datafolha polling data indicates a tight race, with Lula projected to secure 45% of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 40%, pointing toward a potential second-round runoff on 25 October. Despite these figures, the president used Friday’s rally to express optimism about a decisive first-round victory, while his opponent insisted in a separate broadcast that his campaign would mark the final end of the Worker’s Party era.
The rally drew a diverse coalition of citizens concerned for the country’s trajectory. Among those present was Noni Ostrower, a 74-year-old daughter of refugees from Nazism, who expressed deep anxiety over a potential return to fascist-style politics. Similarly, history teacher Valmir Aleixo described the upcoming election as the most critical period for the nation since the conclusion of the military regime in the 1980s.
Politicians within the Worker’s Party, such as congressional candidate Marcelo Freixo, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the family of the former president has a history of defending authoritarian rule. As the country prepares to head to the polls, the tension remains palpable, with samba artist Diogo Nogueira warning that the outcome of this election will define the nation’s political landscape for the next ten to twenty years. “If it weren’t for me standing up to these fascists they’d easily win another election.
Lula also issued a warning against external interference, vowing that no foreign interests would dictate Brazil’s domestic affairs, in a pointed reference to alleged efforts by the Trump administration to influence the election through economic and diplomatic maneuvering. With final preparations underway, both campaigns have framed the Sunday vote as a generational decision for the future of Latin America’s largest democracy. “No gringo is going to lay a finger on Brazil’s things,” vowed Lula, in an indirect reference to claims Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to sway the vote in Bolsonaro’s favour with a campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure.
