Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro held campaign rallies on Sunday to mark the first day of the presidential campaign.
The events signal the start of a high-stakes race for the Brazilian presidency, following a registration period that saw a diverse field of candidates enter the contest.
Lula delivered his opening speech in São Bernardo do Campo, located in the state of São Paulo [1]. The city serves as a traditional stronghold for his political movement. Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro appeared on a trio elétrico, a large mobile sound system, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro [1].
The campaign activities began immediately after the official candidacy registration period closed on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 [2]. This deadline finalized the list of individuals eligible to compete for the nation's highest office.
A total of 13 candidates registered for the 2026 presidential election [2]. While the field is broad, the initial rallies focused on the contrasting styles and geographic bases of the two leading figures.
The use of the trio elétrico in Rio reflects a strategy to engage crowds in high-visibility tourist and residential areas. In contrast, Lula's choice of São Bernardo do Campo emphasizes his roots in labor and industrial centers.
Both candidates used the first day of the campaign to mobilize their respective bases before the race moves into a more intensive phase of national touring and televised debates.
“Lula delivered his opening speech in São Bernardo do Campo”
The simultaneous launches in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro highlight the geographic and ideological polarization of the Brazilian electorate. By anchoring their first appearances in symbolic locations, an industrial hub for Lula and a coastal urban center for Bolsonaro, the candidates are reinforcing their core identities to ensure base loyalty before attempting to capture the undecided middle of the 13-candidate field.
