Overview
- The presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and senator Flávio Bolsonaro is set for Sunday, Oct. 25, and polls show a statistically tight race with Bolsonaro holding a narrow lead.
- The candidates met in a heated televised debate on Oct. 18 that sharpened mutual attacks and produced widely circulated gaffes and exchanges that both campaigns have used to mobilize supporters.
- Investigations linked to Banco Master and a banker named Daniel Vorcaro have produced financial leads that federal police are pursuing and that touch figures connected to Bolsonaro’s campaign.
- Lula has pushed last‑minute measures, including a rise in Bolsa Família payments and a cut in working hours approved by Congress, to try to regain voters who backed Bolsonaro in the first round.
- The stakes include control of the judiciary and appointments, a pledge by Flávio to free his jailed father Jair Bolsonaro if elected, and possible shifts in Amazon and foreign policy that could affect everyday life for Brazilians and markets abroad.