US and Australia Suspend Brazil Diplomatic Operations Ahead of Sunday Election
Consular services paused over security concerns as Lula faces Flavio Bolsonaro; CNT/MDA poll shows tight race
1 min read
File photo: Brazilian National Congress in Brasilia. Photo: Eurico Zimbres, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
A CNT/MDA poll of 2,007 people conducted Sept. 30–Oct. 2, with a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points and TSE registration BR-04756/2026, put Lula at 47.8% of valid votes, Flavio Bolsonaro at 42.1%, and Augusto Cury at 3.6%. In a simulated runoff, Lula led 47.3% to Flavio’s 43.1%, according to UOL’s report on the survey.
Interference claims and Trump comments
Workers’ Party president Edinho Silva called the diplomatic closures “unprecedented,” saying: “It makes no sense at all. It’s one of Trump’s ways of trying to influence Brazilian public opinion.” Lula’s allies have also pointed to U.S. tariffs and an effort to send officials to “discuss electoral integrity” as alleged interference. Brazilian intelligence briefed French and German delegations on alleged U.S. and Russian interference, according to reporting on the dispute.
U.S. President Donald Trump has praised Flavio Bolsonaro without a formal endorsement and said he was “watching that election very closely.”
The twin closures have intensified an already charged campaign climate as voters prepare to choose Brazil’s next president.
