Lula and Bolsonaro stage rival rallies in Brazil before runoff vote

Tens of thousands of supporters of Brazilian President Lula and conservative candidate Flavio Bolsonaro held rival mass rallies on Saturday, October 24, ahead of a tightly contested presidential runoff election. The demonstrations in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo highlighted a deeply divided nation. Lula, riding in a pick-up truck on São Paulo's Paulista Avenue, drew a "red tide" of supporters who credited his Workers' Party social programs with improving their lives. Supporters expressed fears that a Bolsonaro government would neglect poor and Black citizens and threaten democratic institutions. Flavio Bolsonaro rallied thousands in Rio, where backers voiced distrust of the electoral process and a desire for change. Two polls published Saturday evening gave Bolsonaro 51% of voting intentions against 49% for Lula, within the margin of error. The election will determine whether Brazil remains one of Latin America's few left-wing governments or joins the region's rightward shift.