Lula stages mass rally ahead of Brazil's presidential run-off
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a major rally in Sao Paulo to promote labor reforms, including a shorter work week, ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff. He faces a tight race against Flavio Bolsonaro, who has criticized the proposals as opportunistic while advocating for fiscal austerity.
Why it matters
The election represents a critical ideological clash between labor-focused social policies and market-oriented fiscal conservatism in Latin America's largest economy.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva led a massive rally on Sunday (October 11, 2026) to call for more days off for workers ahead of an election runoff against his right-wing opponent Flavio Bolsonaro.
A sea of people massed along Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue, which was awash in red, the colour of Mr. Lula's Workers' Party.
The leftist leader, vying for a fourth term in office, is trying to regain ground on Mr. Bolsonaro who was the surprise winner of the first-round vote on October 4.
Polls show the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro is favoured to win the October 25 runoff.
While Mr. Bolsonaro has proposed a plan to cut public spending, inspired by Argentina's Javier Milei, Mr. Lula is looking to make improved working conditions a key plank of his campaign.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in