Cover image: Brazilian senator and presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) and Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas attend a rally ahead of the runoff presidential election, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 18, 2026. © Brian Snyder, Reuters

Back to the Bolsonaros? Brazil's presidential run-off goes down to the wire

· France 24

We ask about crime, inequality and the other issues that could determine this nail-biter. We also ask whether the nearly 81-year-old Lula has lost his lustre of old, whether Brazilians are ready to overlook the attempted coup conviction of 45-year-old Flavio Bolsonaro's father after he was voted out last time around in 2022, and how Brazil has changed in four years.

For starters, its embrace of social media has only snowballed. Brazil is now the planet's third-biggest user of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. It's such a factor that Meta, the parent group of WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter, has been branded by critics as the third party in the run-off, with Bolsonaro supporters flooding the zone with content. Will all the virtual campaigning tip the scales on Sunday?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Léonore Jaury.