The Japan Times - Bolsonaro feted at final rally ahead of cliffhanger Brazil vote

His graft-tarnished leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 77, was gearing up for his final rally in economic powerhouse Sao Paulo, hoping his slight lead in the polls will score him a spectacular comeback and third term at the helm of Latin America's largest economy.

The 67-year-old Bolsonaro whizzed through Belo Horizonte, capital of the crucial state Minas Gerais, on the back of a motorcycle during one of his trademark biker rallies, after assuring voters he was "confident of victory."

Bolsonaro on Friday night made one of his clearest pledges yet to respect the election result if he loses, after a campaign in which he has repeatedly attacked the voting system as fraudulent and said he would not accept the results of an "abnormal" vote.

"There isn't the slightest doubt: whoever gets the most votes, wins. That's democracy," said the hardline conservative.

"I am sure he will win," said small business owner Fabricia Alves, 36, in Belo Horizonte.

He said he supports the incumbent because he has seen the economy picking up after the Covid-19 pandemic, and "for the values" he sees as key.

"I am against abortion and gender ideology, which is what the other party wants to impose on our country."

Lula reiterated on Friday that he was anti-abortion -- a delicate issue in socially conservative Brazil -- during a final debate between the bitter rivals that featured mutual accusations of lying, corruption and disastrous management.

The run-off campaign has been a dirty, gloves-off battle for every last vote between two men adored and hated in almost equal measure.

- God, family, freedom -

Bolsonaro is seeking reelection after a first term in which he was accused of mishandling the pandemic, which left more than 685,000 dead in Brazil.

His tenure was marked by vitriolic attacks on his perceived rivals, ranging from the judiciary to women and foreign leaders.

His wife, Michelle, earlier led a motorcade through the capital Brasilia at an event dubbed "Women for Bolsonaro."

The first lady has been hard at work trying to win votes from women, one of the many groups that have been on the receiving end of controversial comments from her husband.

In campaign ads, Bolsonaro has apologized for his occasional "slightly aggressive" tone, and he has boasted of reduced crime rates, a drop in unemployment figures and curbed inflation.

His hardline conservative fans love his focus on "God, country, family and freedom."

On Saturday, Brazil's electoral authorities dispatched electronic ballot boxes across the country, from cities to remote Indigenous areas in the Amazon, reported Globo News.

"We are absolutely certain that Sunday will be a day celebrating democracy. I am sure that all 156 million Brazilians will respect the result of the election," Top electoral judge Alexandre de Moraes told Brazil's biggest network.

Lula, Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010, has told voters the election is a choice between "democracy and barbarism, between peace and war."

He was the country's most popular president when he left office, helping to lift millions out of poverty with his social welfare programs.

But he then became mired in a massive corruption scandal and was jailed for 18 months before his convictions were thrown out last year. The Supreme Court found the lead judge was biased, but Lula was never exonerated.

The polarizing election has frayed nerves in the country of 215 million people, which is facing pressing issues, including hunger and economic recovery from the pandemic.

However, critical policy issues such as the economy, corruption and the fires and deforestation in the Amazon have taken a backseat to personal attacks.

- Fight for undecided voters -

Bolsonaro outperformed pollsters' predictions in the first-round vote on October 2 to finish just five points shy of Lula -- 48 percent to 43 percent.

Lula now has 53 percent voter support to Bolsonaro's 47 percent, according to a poll published Thursday by the Datafolha institute, which will release a final poll Saturday night.

Both candidates have gone all-out to win over the five percent of voters who plan to spoil their ballots, and another two percent that are undecided.

Both candidates have fervent support, but many will merely vote for the candidate they least detest -- or spoil their ballots.

"It's not about the political agenda that I usually identify with. I am prioritizing getting rid of one candidate rather than electing another," Rio de Janeiro artist Karla Koehler, 35, told AFP.

T.Kobayashi--JT