Lula against Flavio - both candidates in the second-round presidential election in Brazil hold rallies in major cities on the last day of campaigning.
asserted
Lula → hold → campaigning
With around 20% of the electorate having abstained in the first round, the result is wide open and opinion polls show them neck and neck.
asserted
them → abstain → round
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro rally their supporters one last time on Saturday, converging on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and closing a fraught election campaign one day after a combative final live television debate.
asserted
Silva → rally → debate
In the first round of voting Bolsonaro won 47% over Lula's 45%.
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Bolsonaro → win → %
But in the intervening 3 weeks of intense and acrimonious campaigning the left-wing incumbent seems to have made up some ground.
asserted
incumbent → intervene → ground
80-year-old Lula aims for historic 4th non-consecutive term
Lula, who got his start as a union worker and became the country's first working class president, inspired a cult-like devotion during his first and second terms in office, as Brazil's economy expanded with the help of a commodities boom and social programmes, including direct cash assistance, that lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.
He later spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled before winning a third term in 2022.
asserted
that → aim → 2022
Former U.S. President Barack Obama once called Lula “the world’s most popular politician,” but his approval rating have at times fallen as low as 24% this term as voters raise concerns about crimes and the cost of living.
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voters → call → living
Former lawyer Bolsonaro hopes to continue his father's politics
Senator Bolsonaro began his political career at 21, when he became Rio’s youngest elected state lawmaker.
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he → hop → 21
When his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, barred from running as he serves a 27-year sentence under house detention for staging an attempted coup after losing to Lula in 2022, his eldest son took on the challenge to continue the right-wing agenda.
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son → bar → agenda
He has largely embraced his father’s ultra-conservative politics, while trying to moderate his communication style to attract centrist voters.
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He → embrace → voters
His hard-line security policies have been a pillar of his campaign, and polls show these proposals are popular.
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proposals → show → campaign
Sunday's runoff will determine whether Brazil remains one of the few leftist nations in the region or joins the ranks of right-wing governments friendly with US President Donald Trump.
asserted
Brazil → determine → Trump
In their final debate on Friday night, the rivals struck a calmer tone than their first showdown, which descended into insults and was empty of policy proposals.
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which → strike → proposals
Lula attacked the senator's lack of experience while Bolsonaro accused the president of leaving behind a "broken country."
"He doesn't know what hunger is," Brazil's first working-class president said of Bolsonaro, who asked the incumbent: "Why are things so expensive?"
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things → attack → incumbent
He has promised to resolve Brazil's crime woes, create 500,000 more spots in prisons and slash government spending.
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He → promise → spending
Brazil plays a vital role in mitigating global warming by protecting the Amazon rainforest, but deforestation a record high during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, and his son has likewise denied human-caused climate change, committing only to stopping illegal deforestation.
asserted
son → play → deforestation
This was followed by a record low in new clearances in recent years, as Lula's government increased satellite monitoring and targeted law enforcement.
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government → follow → enforcement
Sen. Bolsonaro’s admission that he accepted millions of dollars from disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film on his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign.
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he → accept → campaign
Lula has repeatedly warned the US not to meddle in Brazil’s elections and has made defending Brazil's sovereignty and interference by foreign social media a key campaign issue.
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defending → warn → media
Trump announced 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods last year, citing — among other reasons — the trial of Jair Bolsonaro.
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Trump → announce → Bolsonaro
This year, he imposed a new round of US tarrifs, citing unfair trade practices despite running a U.S. surplus.
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he → impose → surplus
Trump also classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organisations, shortly after receiving Sen. Bolsonaro at the White House — a move Lula's administration opposed as a pretext for intervention.
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administration → classify → intervention
A victory by Bolsonaro would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries — including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru — that have elected Trump-friendly governments in recent years.
asserted
that → add → years
The Aporia
