Lula gathers thousands in Rio and shows himself convinced of his victory in the runoff

The Brazilian president and candidate for re-election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, gathered thousands of supporters in Rio de Janeiro this Saturday, on the eve of the presidential runoff, and stated he is convinced of his victory against opposition senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

“I am sure that we are going to win the election. You can write this down: tomorrow I will be elected president of the Republic once again,” the progressive leader declared to journalists just before embarking on a march along the iconic Copacabana beach promenade.

The leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) and the eldest son of the far-right former ruler Jair Bolsonaro will compete this Sunday for the Brazilian Presidency in the tightest election in the recent history of the South American country.

In the first round on October 4th, Flávio was the most voted with 47% of the votes compared to 45% for his opponent.

Lula, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term at 80 years of age, began this final day of the campaign with a massive rally in Rio, where his supporters dressed in red and unfurled a huge Brazilian flag.

“We are going to win the election; it is true that the people want change, but a change for the better, moving forward. The people do not want to go backward,” expressed the former lathe operator before getting into a pickup truck with allies and touring Copacabana.

Flávio Bolsonaro, pointed out by Lula as a “risk”

Lula declared himself “very optimistic” regarding the runoff, for which, however, all polls place both candidates in a technical tie.

The PT candidate, wearing a red cap with his surname Silva written on it, also took the opportunity to attack Flávio Bolsonaro, whom he accused of being a “militiaman,” in allusion to his alleged ties to relatives of paramilitary groups in Rio.

“It is not possible that we cannot convince Brazilian society of the risk that democracy, freedom, and good people in this country are facing,” he warned.

Lula also thanked the militancy for taking on the responsibility of the campaign after the first round with massive acts in the streets and a strong mobilization on social media.

“I have an army bigger than the Chinese and the American one, which is Lula’s army,” he said, alluding to a public WhatsApp channel created by deputy André Janones, one of his allies, which has gathered more than 10 million users in a few days.

Lula will then travel to São Paulo, the country’s largest electoral district, to close his campaign. In parallel to his rally in Rio, Flávio Bolsonaro marched through the city of Belo Horizonte. The senator will then move on to Rio, the political cradle of Bolsonarism.