Sawt Falasteen - Lula and Bolsonaro court women voters as Brazil election campaign kicks off

Voters in Latin America's largest economy head to the polls on October 4 deeply polarized and with a weary sense of deja vu as the veteran leftist Lula takes on the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The two frontrunners launched their election campaigns in their political bastions, leaning heavily on symbolism of the past as they sought to win over a jaded electorate.

Lula, 80, who is seeking a fourth and final term in office, drew on his storied political career at a rally in Sao Bernardo do Campo in the state of Sao Paulo, where he addressed massive crowds as a metalworker and unionist in the 1970s.

He arrived in a helicopter at a stadium drenched in the red of the Workers' Party (PT), which estimated the crowd at about 40,000 people.

After videos and speeches glorifying his career, Lula singled out women, who make up 53 percent of Brazil's 158 million voters and were key to his narrow victory in 2022.

Men must "learn from childhood that a man is not better than a woman. They have to learn that we are equal," Lula said.

In a speech focused on women's rights, first lady Rosangela "Janja" said: "We are the majority, and we are going to elect you again."

In his third term, Lula has been credited with expanding social programs, overhauling the tax system and reducing deforestation in the Amazon.

His campaign is focusing on Brazilian sovereignty in the face of US tariffs and pressure from US President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally who has openly backed conservative candidates in recent Latin American elections.

Lula has warned Trump not to "meddle in Brazil's affairs, especially regarding the election."

- 'I know I look like him' -

On Copacabana beach, former president Jair Bolsonaro loomed large over his son's inaugural rally, with most speakers praising him before turning to Flavio as the stand-in keeping his father's legacy alive.

The 45-year-old senator Bolsonaro was thrust into the electoral race after his father was jailed for attempting a coup after losing to Lula in the 2022 election.

He has styled himself as a "more moderate" version of his firebrand father.

"I know I look like him. But it's hard to compare Pele's son to Pele," he said in a speech to the backdrop of a dramatic Hollywood-style soundtrack.

His party has not given a crowd estimate, but an estimate by the University of Sao Paulo's Political Debate Monitor put the crowd at about 9,000 people -- far from the massive crowds which filled the beachfront during Jair Bolsonaro's campaign.

Flavio vowed to "rescue" Brazil from corruption, crime, high food prices and soaring public debt at a rally woven through with references to "God, country, family and freedom."

He has styled himself as tough-on-crime, which polls show is voters' main concern in this election.

While Lula promised to prioritize the fight against organized crime, Flavio blamed the incumbent for not taking violence seriously enough.

He particularly reached out to women, who are facing record levels of femicide and among whom he has less support than Lula.

"Brazil will win because I am going to protect the women of this Brazil. Because abusers -- rapists of women and children -- are going to go to jail and will only get out after undergoing chemical castration," he said.

Flavio has praised the controversial security policies of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and has said he wants to build many more prisons in Brazil.

"I would like to have Jair on the ballot. Since Jair isn't there, I'm going with Flavio. It's also about opposing Lula; it's a protest vote," said Marco Antonio da Rosa, a 21-year-old law student at the Copacabana rally.

A survey by the Quaest pollster released Friday showed that in an expected runoff election, Lula would get 43 percent of votes to Bolsonaro's 40 percent.

X.AbuJaber--SF-PST