Brazil's Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro campaign in powerhouse state ahead of Sunday's presidential vote

SAO PAULO (AP) — Front-runners in Brazil 's presidential race campaigned Saturday in the powerhouse state of Sao Paulo, where a fifth of the nation's vote is based, seeking to rally supporters and convince the undecided on the eve of Sunday's election .

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , seeking his fourth nonconsecutive term, held his traditional preelection Saturday parade in the metropolis of Sao Paulo . Opposition candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro , the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, traveled to the countryside cities of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana.

Sao Paulo is Brazil's heavyweight state, with 46 million residents and an annual gross domestic product of 3.4 trillion Brazilian reais ($650 billion). Argentina has around the same. Some 34 million “paulistas,” as those born in the state are known, are eligible to vote.

Lula told his supporters near Paulista Avenue, Sao Paulo's main artery, that this election represents an existential battle for the nation’s future.

“On one side, we have democracy and sovereignty; on the other, barbarism and corruption,” Lula said, echoing key themes of his campaign.

Last year, Brazil's Supreme Court sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat to Lula. Observers say he would likely be released from prison if his son wins the election.

Lula's team has also repeatedly cast Flávio Bolsonaro as a threat to Brazil's sovereignty, pointing to his proximity with U.S. President Donald Trump. Last year, the American leader imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports due to Jair Bolsonaro's trial, which Trump called a “witch hunt.”

Thirty-two-year-old Daniella Fernandes, who works at a public school in Sao Paulo as a secretary, said that, at first, she wanted another Workers’ Party politician to run instead of Lula. But she changed her mind during the campaign.

“I wanted some renovation, but Lula is the only one who can appeal to everyone — even those who are not on the left,” said Fernandes, who was wearing several Lula badges on her white shirt. “The Bolsonaros are still strong, Brazil is a conservative country. Only Lula can win this one.”

Some 140 kilometers away (87 miles) from Lula in downtown Sao Paulo, Flávio Bolsonaro was trailed by a long line of supporters kitted out in yellow and green on motorbikes as he made his way on top of a sound truck from Santa Barbara d’Oeste to Americana.

“I'm convinced that we can win in the first round,” said Sen. Bolsonaro, who kissed a portrait of his father as the crowd shouted “mito” — a Portuguese word for “legend” that Jair Bolsonaro's supporters use to refer to him.

“So let's get out of our houses to vote (...) because Bolsonaro is going to be president,” Flávio Bolsonaro said.

Bolsonaro was accompanied by Sao Paulo state Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas, who was once floated as Bolsonaro senior's political heir, before Flávio Bolsonaro last December said his father had chosen him to run in the upcoming election.

Brazilians on Sunday will also choose state and federal representatives as well as governors and some senators. In Sao Paulo, de Freitas is running for re-election. The main opposition candidate in that race is Fernando Haddad, who Jair Bolsonaro beat in 2018 to become president and who served as Lula's finance minister . De Freitas has a wide lead in the polls.

Twelve candidates are on the presidential ballot, but only Lula and Bolsonaro are thought to have a real chance of becoming Brazil’s next head of state. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top 2 will advance to a runoff on Oct. 25.

The two represent opposite sides of the political spectrum, with conflicting visions on issues ranging from how to tackle organized crime to the relationship Latin America’s biggest country should have with the Trump administration.

Lula, who got his start as a union worker and has a missing pinky finger following an accident in a factory when he was 19, has at times inspired cult-like devotion. He spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were later annulled before winning a third nonconsecutive term in 2022.

He has promised to ensure Brazilians are the ones to benefit from the country’s rare minerals and resources, protect the Amazon rainforest and continue his flagship welfare program Bolsa Familia .

Bolsonaro has largely embraced his father’s ultra-conservative agenda, while at times trying to strike a more moderate communication style to attract centrist voters.

His hardline security policies have been a pillar of his campaign, and polls show these proposals are popular among Brazilians. The senator has pledged to fight the country’s criminal groups by building El Salvador-style megaprisons , following the Trump administration’s lead by designating transnational gangs terrorist organizations and reducing the age to be tried as an adult to 16.

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