Brazil’s Presidential Candidates Use Independence Day for Rival Campaign Events

Brazil’s Independence Day became a campaign stage less than a month before the first round of the presidential election. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the civic-military parade on Brasília’s Esplanade of Ministries, whose official themes included national sovereignty, combating violence against women and the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Flávio Bolsonaro scheduled an afternoon rally on São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista, while Romeu Zema and Renan Santos planned separate events in the city and other candidates appeared in Rio de Janeiro and Goiânia. The rival agendas highlighted disputes over Lula, the Supreme Court and Justice Alexandre de Moraes.