Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro have inaugurated their presidential campaigns ahead of Brazil’s October 4 election, rallying supporters in their political strongholds.
Lula addressed more than 10,000 people at Vila Euclides Stadium outside São Paulo, while Bolsonaro gathered thousands on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach. Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, did not attend because he is under house arrest following his conviction for an attempted coup.
Rival messages on sovereignty and trade
Lula, 80, said Brazil needed more of his policies and repeated his criticism of foreign interference in the country’s politics. His allies have accused the United States government of trying to strengthen Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign by raising tariffs on Brazilian exports and revoking the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington.
Speaking about Brazil’s reserves of rare minerals, Lula said they should be tapped for the benefit of the Brazilian people. Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, said he was the only candidate able to negotiate major trade deals with the United States, China, Israel, countries in the Middle East, India and Argentina.
Related coverage: Alfredo Gaspar joins Flávio Bolsonaro’s ticket for Brazil’s October election.
- Argentina’s President Javier Milei attended the convention for Bolsonaro’s party.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of the Trump administration have expressed support for Flávio Bolsonaro.
How the campaigns are addressing violence against women
Women make up nearly 53 percent of Brazil’s 158 million eligible voters, according to the country’s electoral court. Both Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro have used promises to combat gender violence as they seek support from women voters.
Brazil recorded nearly 400 femicides in the first quarter of 2026, the highest first-quarter total since the country began tracking the crime 11 years ago, according to the Justice and Public Security Ministry’s database. Lula said men should learn from childhood that they are not superior to women and that equality was necessary.
Lula’s proposed platform and the election timeline
Lula said he would launch a platform within 10 days, with further details expected on gender-responsive policies, including education initiatives and laws intended to prevent and punish violence against women. At a Workers’ Party convention in early August, he said men who commit domestic or gender-based violence should choose between supporting him and hitting a woman.
More context: Brazil poll puts Lula narrowly ahead of Flavio Bolsonaro.
Flávio Bolsonaro also promised to fight violence against women, appearing at the rally with his mother and wife. Brazil’s election will take place on October 4. In 2024, femicide became a separate crime rather than an aggravated form of homicide, carrying a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison, but the source material says the trend in killings has not abated.
Also read: Keiko Fujimori sworn in as Peru’s president after tight election victory.
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