Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Take Campaign to Streets as Brazil Vote Nears
Lula defended his betting ban and warned against foreign interference, while Flávio Bolsonaro predicted his father would hand him the presidential sash.
Brazil's presidential race entered its closing stretch on Saturday with incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro staging simultaneous street events in the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Lula, seeking reelection as the Workers' Party candidate, marched with supporters through São Miguel Paulista, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of São Paulo. He waved to crowds from his vehicle, at one point lifting a child into his arms, and later addressed supporters gathered in front of a stage.
In his speech, the president defended the order he signed on Friday banning fixed-odds betting, a measure he said was aimed at tackling the problem of families falling into debt. The order halts the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting, takes effect immediately and requires congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force. It bars new deposits into betting accounts and gives platform users until October 5 to withdraw their funds.
"Nobody gets richer by gambling," Lula told the crowd, arguing that only the owners of online betting platforms profit while ordinary people are left worse off.
The president also spoke out against outside involvement in the country's affairs. "No foreigner will meddle in our elections. And no one from outside is going to interfere with our natural resources," he said, adding that Brazil's minerals would be exploited by Brazilians.
In São João de Meriti, a city in Rio de Janeiro state, Flávio Bolsonaro, the Liberal Party's presidential candidate, arrived at a sound truck to lead a march, with many supporters following on motorcycles. A large crowd gathered in a public square ahead of his arrival, waving flags, and one motorcyclist carried a large portrait of former president Jair Bolsonaro. A woman in the crowd held a sign reading "Lula out."
Addressing supporters, the senator predicted that his father, the former president, would place the presidential sash on his son. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the result of the 2022 election.
The parallel events came in the final week of campaigning, as both candidates work to mobilize supporters and consolidate their bases in key states. Brazil's first-round presidential election is scheduled for October 4, with a runoff on October 25 if no candidate secures more than half of the valid votes.