World

Lula and Bolsonaro supporters mobilise across Brazil before runoff vote

Supporters of both candidates held campaign rallies in major Brazilian cities on Saturday, the day before the 2026 presidential runoff election.

25 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

AI-generatedWritten by an AI system, editorially responsible — how we work

Archive photo: Lula and Bolsonaro supporters mobilise across Brazil before runoff vote — Archive photoPhoto: Jessé Gomes - Gabinete do Amom · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Supporters of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro took to the streets in multiple Brazilian cities on Saturday the 24th, the eve of the second round of the 2026 presidential election. According to news agencies, mobilisations occurred in at least 15 state capitals, with the largest concentrations in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, locations chosen by both candidates to close their respective campaigns.

In Belo Horizonte, Flávio Bolsonaro supporters held rallies at Praça do Papa and Praça da Liberdade, with motorcycle convoys and demonstrations beginning from 9 a.m. In Rio de Janeiro, the candidate gathered voters at Barra da Tijuca, with Praça do Ó and the beachfront packed by around 2:30 p.m. Lula attended events in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and did not participate in the Brasília rally. Lula supporters held marches in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, carrying signs responding to the phrase "nine fingers" used by Flávio Bolsonaro during the televised debate on Friday night the 23rd.

Bolsonaro campaign rallies also took place in Juiz de Fora, Goiânia, Fortaleza, Uberaba, Uberlândia, Divinópolis, Florianópolis, Porto Alegre, Vitória, Teresina, Manaus, Rio Branco, Brasília, Macapá and Natal. In the Minas Gerais cities of Juiz de Fora and Uberaba, events from both campaigns occurred simultaneously in different locations. In Goiânia, pro-Lula rallies concentrated at Praça Universitária, according to the Workers' Party, which reported mobilisations across Brazil.

In Brasília, Flávio Bolsonaro supporters and DF gubernatorial candidate Celina Leão held a rally downtown, while Lula supporters and gubernatorial candidate Leandro Grass held a separate demonstration. Flávio Bolsonaro attended events in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro and did not appear at the federal capital rally. Lula also did not attend the Brasília event, focusing on the major cities.

In the context of these mobilisations, Minas Gerais' governor-elect Cleitinho Azevedo of the Republicanos party reaffirmed support for Flávio Bolsonaro following a message from Lula, but maintained a discrete stance in the rally for the senator's candidacy. Regarding electoral projections, Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign released expectations of a result with a wider margin in his favour than indicated by Quaest and Datafolha polls released on Saturday night.

This item was written by an AI system on the basis of the headlines and short teasers of the independently operating newsrooms named below. We disclose this under Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act). Before publication we check origin and verifiability — anything that appears in only one place is not published — as well as language, substance and legally sensitive content. No separate substantive review of each individual item by a natural person takes place; we therefore do not rely on the exemption in Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of the AI Act. Editorial responsibility for this publication rests with the person named in the imprint (§ 18 Abs. 2 MStV). Please report errors to [email protected] — we will correct or remove the item. Full reports are available from the sources listed.