Brazil's Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kick off their presidential campaigns

SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s main presidential election candidates kicked off their campaigns Sunday in their political strongholds ahead of what is expected to be a tight October election.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke to more than 10,000 supporters at the Vila Euclides Stadium outside the city of Sao Paulo — where he rose to political fame 47 years ago as a metalworkers union leader during the country’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former conservative President Jair Bolsonaro, gathered with thousands of voters on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. His father, under house arrest following his conviction for an attempted coup, did not attend.

Sunday was the first day candidates were allowed to campaign in Brazil.

Lula warns against foreign interference

Brazil’s president once again said he does not want foreign interference in the country’s elections. His allies have accused the U.S. government of seeking to boost Bolsonaro’s bid with measures such as raising tariffs on Brazilian exports and revoking the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington.

In comments about Brazil’s vast reserves of rare minerals, Lula said “no one (abroad) will tap our minerals. We are going to tap them for the benefit of the Brazilian people.”

Both candidates appeal to women voters

Lula, who seeks his fourth nonconsecutive term, and Bolsonaro each sought to appeal to women voters, who account for nearly 53% of Brazil’s 158 million eligible voters, according to the country’s electoral court.

“Men need to learn from childhood that they are no better than women. We need to be equal,” said Lula, as first lady Rosângela da Silva stood by his side and nodded. She was one of the event’s main speakers in Sao Bernardo do Campo, where Lula lived a large part of his life.

Lula said he will launch his platform within 10 days, with more details to come about his policies to benefit women, including education initiatives and policies to prevent and punish violence against women.

Bolsonaro, with his mother and wife by his side, told supporters he would work to fight violence against women.

Bolsonaro seeks to distinguish himself from his father

In his speech Bolsonaro vowed to fight crime and to remove what he described as left-wing “ideology” from Brazilian schools. Every student “has the right to dream of being Elon Musk someday,” he said.

Before his appearance on Copacabana beach, Bolsonaro, 45, said during a live broadcast that he has received 1,800 death threats, without offering evidence. The lawmaker noted that he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

His father was attacked by a man with a knife as he campaigned for the presidency in 2018, suffering internal bleeding and intestinal injuries.

Jair Bolsonaro chose his son to stand against Lula as the Liberal Party’s candidate. The younger Bolsonaro’s campaign has faced headwinds since its start, with moderate political parties keeping their distance.

The 45-year-old lawmaker, who bears a physical resemblance to his father, clearly sought to establish his own identity.

“I know I look like him. But it is hard to compare Pelé’s son with Pelé,” he said, referring to the three-time World Cup-winning soccer player who died in 2022.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.