Lula and Bolsonaro are the two biggest names in Brazilian politics, on the left and right, and this campaign has polarised Brazil yet again: with themes of sovereignty, crime, the economy and corruption being top concerns for voters.
Lula is more popular in Brazil’s poorer northeast, among low-income voters, Catholics, and women.
He is seeking a fourth term in office, after being elected in 2002, 2006 and then a later non-consecutive term in 2022. In that election, he beat Jair Bolsonaro by less than 2% of the vote, the closest presidential election result in Brazil’s history.
After that election, Bolsonaro’s supporters vandalised government buildings on 8 January 2023.
Jair Bolsonaro was banned from running for re-election even before his prison sentence, but endorsed his eldest son Flávio to run in his place. Jair Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, was elected to the Senate on Sunday.
Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged to grant his father, and his supporters responsible for the January 8th riots, amnesty if elected.
He is more popular in the south, and among wealthier voters and evangelical Christians.
