2026-10-02
25 分钟This is The Guardian.
Today, could Brazil's most infamous family be on the brink of a return to power?
As The Guardian's Latin America correspondent,
who has covered Brazil on and off for over 20 years, Tom Phillips is very used to covering presidential races.
And this year, ahead of Sunday's knife edge election, he once again found himself on the campaign trail.
I have spent the last few weeks covering the lead up to Brazil's crunch presidential election.
And a few weeks ago, I drove about four hours north from Rio to a town called
Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais State to track down one of those candidates.
And we drove to a small airport outside of town and waited there for what we thought was a plane.
It turned out to be a helicopter in the end to arrive with one of the candidates.
And it all felt very familiar.
And there was a sea of sort of yellow-shirted adoration, women and children,
with banners shouting out sort of prayers and calls of support.
Because, once again, Brazil's presidential race is a face-off between two very recognisable names.
On the left side of the ring, the incumbent and second-time president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known only as Lula.
And far...
Far over there on the right, the other contender who emerged from that helicopter to a rapturous reception.
And then the candidate came out and it was Bolsonaro.
But it wasn't the Bolsonaro we are used to seeing
and who I have grown very used to covering over the last eight years here in Brazil.