Tens of thousands of Lula supporters rally on eve of Brazilian election runoff

Tens of thousands of supporters of Brazil’s leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, rallied Saturday on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana, aiming to propel him toward a historic comeback in Sunday’s election runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro. Nearly 159 million Brazilians are set to vote after the first round on October 4 ended with Bolsonaro winning 47% to 45%. The article says the 2.5-mile beach filled with red-clad crowds, and that such a bounce-back from a first-round loss has not happened since Brazil returned to democracy in the 1980s. Polls suggest Bolsonaro is slightly favored, with analysts citing his pitch of an “iron fist” response to violent crime, though Lula has reportedly regained momentum amid scandals involving his opponent.