Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro close campaigns in dead-heat Brazil vote

Brazil's presidential candidates have wrapped up their campaigns ahead of Sunday's election, with polls showing a statistical tie between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, seeking a fourth term, and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula closed his campaign with a march through a sea of red in Sao Paulo, pledging to defend Brazil's democracy and sovereignty, a pointed message aimed at supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving 27 years for plotting a coup after losing in 2022. Elsewhere in the state, Flavio's yellow-and-green supporters rallied behind his promise to secure his father's release and carry on his political movement.

Beyond the presidency, the winner could appoint at least three of the Supreme Court's 11 justices, and the outcome could reshape Brazil's global alignment: Lula has built ties with China and the Global South, while Flavio has signalled a move closer to the United States under Donald Trump.

Al Jazeera's Monica Yanakiew reports from Rio de Janeiro.

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