Brazil runoff: Both camps seek to have their rival disqualified
Three days before the runoff, Flávio Bolsonaro and President Lula are tied in the polls. In court, each side is asking for the other's candidacy to be annulled.
Archive image · Photo: Agência Senado from Brasilia, Brazil / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Brazil holds a presidential runoff on Sunday, Oct. 25, and the race is wide open. A Quaest poll released on Wednesday put right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party at 45% and incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party at 44%, within the two-point margin of error. In the first round, Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47.03% of valid votes to Lula's 45.16%.
With days to go, both camps have taken their fight to court. According to Xinhua, Bolsonaro's campaign filed on Tuesday to have Lula's ticket disqualified. Lula's coalition filed a request with the Superior Electoral Court on Wednesday to annul Bolsonaro's ticket and bar him from office for eight years, accusing him of abuse of economic power and of favorable treatment by Meta and X, according to The Rio Times. Both cases are pending.
At a televised debate last Sunday, Lula pledged to sustain economic growth, strengthen public security with a dedicated ministry and defend Brazil's sovereignty. Bolsonaro wants to designate criminal factions as narco-terrorist organizations, expand prison capacity and cut public debt. He also promised help with debt restructuring for businesses and individuals.