Presidential candidates Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) drew crowds at rallies with supporters in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo on the final day of the election campaign, this Saturday (24).
On Saturday afternoon, in Barra da Tijuca, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro took part in a walk with supporters to the sound of sound trucks, starting from Praça do Ó. He gave a brief speech thanking them for their support. "You are part of this history," he declared.
With the support of elected federal deputies Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) and Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ), senator-elect Dalagnol, and São Paulo Governor Tarcísio Freitas (Republicanos), Flávio said the coming years will be ones of "happiness, prosperity, freedom, and victory, because Brazil will win."
The candidate was also accompanied by his wife, Fernanda, and the governor-elect of Rio de Janeiro, Douglas Ruas (PL). Among the supporters were many families with children, motorcyclists, and jiu-jitsu fighters. The Gracie family, a reference in the sport, was greeted by the event's masters of ceremonies.
Supporters of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro take part in a campaign rally for the candidate at Praça do Ó, in Barra da Tijuca - Photo Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
The march moved toward the Vivendas da Barra condominium, where the Bolsonaro family has a house. The route was about 1 kilometer long.
Supporters wore national team shirts, green and yellow, and carried banners, stickers, and other accessories with the phrase "Fora Lula" ("Lula Out"). Many Israeli flags could also be seen. The crowd sang the National Anthem.
Lula
A candidate for reelection, Lula also gathered supporters in Rio de Janeiro, but on the Copacabana waterfront, in a walk that began in the late morning. In a brief statement to journalists before the event, he emphasized that this was the electoral race in which he faced the most lies from the opposing side, represented by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
"A campaign that was probably conducted by an adversary of the lowest possible level," he said, recalling that he has competed for votes against names such as Ulysses Guimarães, Leonel Brizola, Mario Covas, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, José Serra, and Paulo Maluf.
Lula also thanked the mobilization of supporters during the runoff and stated that "you cannot win an election without the people." According to him, Brazilians want "change moving forward, not going backward," citing what he called the dismantling of culture, education, labor, health, and infrastructure that occurred during the previous government of Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father.
The PT candidate was accompanied by First Lady Janja Lula da Silva and allied politicians, such as ministers, former ministers, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, and former mayor Eduardo Paes, among others.
During the walk of just under 1 kilometer, the sound trucks and the car in which the president was riding were greeted by the crowd, which displayed the red of the PT and the yellow of the Brazilian national team shirt. The crowd also carried posters praising the achievements of the current government and raising doubts about the guarantee of rights in the event of a victory by the opposing campaign.
The president also recalled the Ana Clara case, a 5-year-old girl who died in a community in Niterói, in Rio de Janeiro, hit by a rifle shot fired by a Military Police (PM) soldier in 2021. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro defended the PM officer's innocence.
At the end of the walk, he made an appeal to the female vote and said it is women who will win the election. "Every woman who felt the pain of that mother who lost a child, a 5-year-old girl, to the bullet of a criminal police officer — every woman cannot vote for the militiaman," he said.
Motorcade
In the morning, candidate Flávio also took part in a motorcycle motorcade in Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, accompanied by other right-wing leaders such as federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira and São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. The senator made the route atop a sound truck and left the event without giving a speech.
In a post on social media, Flávio also spoke to those who are still undecided about their choice in the runoff. For the PL candidate, Brazil is "united on the same side, which is the side of change."
"Every Brazilian citizen must hold public officials accountable when things do not happen as promised. And, unfortunately, the current government promises a lot and delivers nothing," he said.
"Brazil is tired of waiting, because what was sold as hope has turned into fear, disillusionment, record numbers of murdered women, and unfinished projects. I want to make myself available, and as president of the Republic I will give my best," Flávio concluded.
On Paulista Avenue
Also at a second event, in the afternoon, Lula ended his campaign with a rally on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo. The candidate again highlighted popular support and confidence in the possibility of a comeback.
President Lula ends the 2026 election campaign with a walk on Avenida Paulista - Photo Paulo Pinto/Agência Brasil
"We are finishing a campaign that possibly only had a similar one in the 1989 runoff. The '89 campaign was the most exciting campaign I have taken part in in my life, because of the lively participation of society," he said, at a rally with massive support from activists and sympathizers, who also sang the National Anthem.
"In this runoff, Brazilian society has decided to take on the responsibility of saying that the election is not a matter of one party, it is a matter of people who care about the country, of people who care about the day-to-day lives of other people," Lula said at a press conference.
In the São Paulo capital, the candidate again criticized the positions of candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, such as his defense of the police officer who killed young Ana Clara and his alleged closeness to militias in Rio de Janeiro state.
*With contributions from Guilherme Jeronymo, in São Paulo, and Isabela Vieira and Bruno de Freitas Moura, in Rio de Janeiro.