Il Nuovo Postiglione - Lula, Bolsonaro trade blows in final scramble for votes in Brazil

The nail-biter poll is being "very closely" watched by US President Donald Trump, who has championed Latin America's swing to the right in recent elections.

Washington suspended consular services in Brasilia over "security concerns" and Australia closed its embassy for the same reason. Neither gave details.

Pressure from Trump has loomed large over a campaign dominated by scandals and insults that has done little to ease Brazil's deep political polarization.

Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party (PT), told journalists that the US closing its consulates "makes absolutely no sense. It is one of the ways Trump has to vie for Brazilian public opinion."

Veteran leftist Lula, 80, is in a dead heat with the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, and opinion polls predict the vote will go to a runoff on October 25.

"The race is tied but not at a standstill," Felipe Nunes, director of the Quaest polling institute, told AFP.

Many of the nation's 160 million registered voters are disenchanted with their options.

Marcelo Vilanova, a 32-year-old fish market manager in the southeastern city of Juiz de Fora, said he was voting for Lula as the "lesser of two evils."

Lucas Sales, 38, a cell phone shop owner in the city, is voting for Flavio Bolsonaro even if "he himself isn't the best option," citing his promise to be tough on crime -- a key concern for many Brazilians in this election.

- Saintly spat, gynecological gaffe -

The scramble for undecided voters has had both sides on alert for anything they can twist to their advantage.

In recent days, Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, became the focus as rumours erupted that Flavio Bolsonaro planned to strip her of her position if elected.

Bolsonaro, 45, issued fierce denials as Lula took to the campaign trail clutching a statue of the beloved saint, declaring that "messing" with her was "unacceptable."

The electoral court ordered Thursday that posts with the "untrue" claims be taken down.

Next, Bolsonaro and his supporters pounced when Lula said that men were "cowards" when it comes to getting their prostates examined, while "women learn to receive a touch from a young age," referring to gynecological exams.

Clips of his comment circulated widely on social media as if it were an allusion to abuse.

"It's really turned into a circus," said Gisele Sousa, 45, a clothing shop employee. "My vote won't go to any of them."

In another jab during a podcast Thursday, Lula said he was sure he would win in the first round, over a rival he said was not even qualified "to serve as a building manager."

- A tough foe -

Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, boasting he is fitter than ever despite his advanced age.

He made Brazilian sovereignty a central plank of his campaign, warning Trump not to "meddle" in his country's elections.

The former union leader has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment while massively curbing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Nevertheless, voters complain about a high cost of living and are fed up with violence and crime.

Lula unveiled a flurry of measures in the election run-up to win over voters, increasing social welfare payments and banning sports betting that has ensnared many in gambling addiction.

Bolsonaro was also confident of a first-round win, vowing that Lula would be "ousted from the presidency" on Sunday.

"Brazil can't stand you anymore," he said.

The once little-known Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, has proven a tough foe for Lula, even as it emerged he was under investigation for corruption over the financing of the biopic "Dark Horse" about his father.

He was forced during the campaign to admit he had asked jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, at the heart of one of Brazil's largest financial fraud cases, to bankroll the film.

F.M.Buffo--INP