LULA AND FLAVIO BOLSONARO HOLD FINAL RALLIES BEFORE BRAZIL ELECTION

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro held final campaign events in Sao Paulo state on Saturday, a day before the first round of Brazil's presidential election. Lula spoke from a campaign truck, while Flavio Bolsonaro led a motorcycle parade through the state's interior, one report said; another placed his closing rally in Rio de Janeiro. Opinion polls suggest neither will win outright on Sunday, pointing to a runoff on 25 October. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth and final term, while Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, a senator, is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula, the reports said. Lula has made Brazilian sovereignty a central campaign theme, warning it is at stake under pressure from the Trump administration. The US imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods last year, citing Jair Bolsonaro's trial, and later designated Brazil's largest drug-trafficking gangs as foreign terrorist organisations after Flavio Bolsonaro visited the White House, one report said. Flavio Bolsonaro has campaigned on security and fiscal austerity.

Trump has not endorsed Flavio Bolsonaro but said he is watching the election "very closely," while Lula has warned him against "meddling" in the vote and said he intends to "defeat the far right," the reports said. If Flavio Bolsonaro wins, Brazil would join a number of Latin American countries that have shifted to the right, one report said. The candidates differ on tackling organised crime and on ties with the Trump administration, the reports said. Voting takes place on Sunday, with a runoff scheduled for 25 October if no candidate secures a majority.