Brazil rivals rally before debate as runoff nears finish

Brazil's presidential rivals mobilized supporters on October 18 before their first televised debate, a week ahead of the runoff.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro face an October 25 deciding vote after competing in the October 4 opening round. Both are seeking support from approximately 33 million eligible voters who abstained, equivalent to roughly one in five.

The candidates were scheduled to debate in Sao Paulo at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday. Their planned appearance follows the cancellation of the final debate before the opening ballot, after both withdrew.

Abstainers offer both campaigns an opening

The street demonstrations showed each side's ability to gather committed supporters. They did not establish whether either campaign was persuading people who had stayed away from the first vote, a distinction that matters with only a week remaining.

In Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro addressed supporters who crowded Paulista Avenue wearing green, blue and yellow, the colors of Brazil's flag. In Brasilia, Lula's backers assembled among the capital's government buildings, many dressed in the red associated with his Workers' Party.

Students supporting Lula also demonstrated against Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro. The gatherings brought the contest into public spaces across three cities before the candidates' scheduled encounter on television.

Presidential debates became a feature of Brazilian democratic politics after military rule ended in 1985, following 21 years of dictatorship. Leading candidates have increasingly skipped them, making Sunday's planned meeting a contrast with the abandoned encounter before the first round.

Bolsonaro places his father in campaign

Flavio Bolsonaro's campaign also carries the political legacy of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who lost his reelection contest to Lula in 2022. Rivalry between the elder Bolsonaro's supporters and Lula's camp has shaped Brazilian politics for almost a decade.

The senator has pledged to pursue amnesty for his father if he wins the presidency. At Sunday's rally, he also portrayed victory as a family moment, telling supporters that his father would place the presidential sash on him.

Lula has used that family connection to challenge his opponent. In a post on X, the president said voters choosing Flavio Bolsonaro would also receive his father and brothers as a "bonus gift."

Meta faces competing electoral claims

A separate dispute concerns the treatment of campaign accounts on Meta's services, including Instagram and Facebook. Lula's coalition alleges that restrictions affected the president's Instagram account and its posts.

Meta acknowledged technical problems affecting its services globally but rejected allegations of political favoritism. The company said: "Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false."

Civil society organizations announced plans to demonstrate outside Meta's principal Sao Paulo office on Monday. The organizers accused the company of interfering in the election; that allegation remains disputed by Meta.

The scheduled debate offers the candidates a chance to address voters beyond Sunday's rallies before the October 25 ballot. If either campaign brings previous abstainers to the polls, those additional votes could alter the contest; the demonstrations alone provide no measure of that prospect.