Brazil's final day of campaigning ends with polls showing a razor-thin race

A new CNT/MDA poll released on Saturday shows Flavio Bolsonaro leading Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by 1.3 percentage points in the final hours before Brazil's presidential run-off. The survey puts Bolsonaro at 46.3 percent and the incumbent president at 45 percent. The margin of error is 2.2 percentage points, a range that covers the entire gap between the two men.

This result follows a week of tight polling. The same organization reported Bolsonaro leading 46.8 percent to 45.9 percent on Saturday of last week. The data suggests the race has remained nearly level as the campaign entered its final stretch.

Lula, the 80-year-old incumbent, spent Saturday on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. He wore a red hat and waved a Brazilian flag from a campaign truck while addressing hundreds of supporters. He targeted his opponent's relationship with US President Donald Trump. "The people must choose either someone who kisses the national flag or someone who kisses the American flag," Lula said.

Lula is seeking a fourth term in office, which would not be consecutive. The outcome will determine if Brazil continues its left-wing governance or aligns with a regional shift to the right.

Bolsonaro, a senator and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, campaigned in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. His rally featured hundreds of motorcyclists wearing yellow national football shirts. Ebert Dorigo, a supporter, told the news agency AFP that the Workers' Party had created dependence on government welfare. "The values we uphold are nation and family," Dorigo said. He argued that welfare policies have hindered individual achievement through hard work.

The campaign has focused on economic policy and crime. Bolsonaro has pledged to add hundreds of thousands of prison places and cut government spending. His father, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election.

Gabriela Ribeiro Viana, an event organizer, described the choice to AFP as difficult. "If there were any other candidate, that would be a better option. But we're stuck choosing between the worst, the horrible, and the lesser evil," she said.