Lula, Bolsonaro trade blows in final scramble for votes in Brazil

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and rival Flavio Bolsonaro are pulling no punches in a last-ditch effort to win voters ahead of Sunday's election in Brazil, where the US suspended consular services Friday over security concerns.

US President Donald Trump said he was "very closely" watching the nail-biter poll, which comes after a string of recent right-wing victories across Latin America.

Washington suspended consular services in Brasilia over "security concerns" and Australia closed its embassy for the same reason. Neither gave details.

Police said in a statement they had executed two search and seizure warrants to investigate possible threats to US diplomatic facilities but "no evidence has been found to corroborate the initially reported risks."

US pressure has loomed large over an insult-driven, scandal-littered campaign that has done little to mend Brazil's political fragmentation.

Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party (PT), told journalists that the US closing its consulates "makes absolutely no sense. It is one of the ways Trump has to vie for Brazilian public opinion."

Veteran leftist Lula, 80, is in a dead heat with the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro in polls that predict an October 25 runoff, which will take place if no candidate gets more than half the first-round vote.

"The race is tied but not at a standstill," Felipe Nunes, director of the Quaest polling institute, told AFP.

Horns honked raucously at a Lula rally in Rio de Janeiro attended by thousands on Friday.

"The left has put itself in a position of defending the poorest, the weakest, the minorities," said Alex de Oliveira Rangel, a 55-year-old evangelical pastor.

"As Christians, we have to defend the values that are right for society and defend democracy, which is under serious threat from the right," he told AFP.

Flavio Bolsonaro meanwhile called for a "mega-motorcade" of motorcycles at his final campaign rally in Sao Paulo state on Saturday.

- Saintly spat, gynecological gaffe -

Keenly aware of undecided voters, both sides have kept a close eye on anything they can twist to their advantage.

In recent days, the debate lasered in on Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, as rumors erupted that Flavio Bolsonaro planned to demote her if elected.

Bolsonaro, 45, issued fierce denials as Lula appeared clutching a statue of the beloved saint, declaring that "messing" with her was "unacceptable."

The electoral court ordered Thursday that posts with the "untrue" claims be taken down.

Next, Bolsonaro and his supporters pounced when Lula said that men were "cowards" when it comes to getting their prostates examined, while "women learn to receive a touch from a young age," referring to gynecological exams.

Clips of his comment circulated widely on social media as if it were an allusion to abuse.

Amid all the drama, many of the nation's 160 million registered voters are disenchanted with their options.

"It's really turned into a circus," said Gisele Sousa, 45, a clothing shop employee in the southeastern city of Juiz de Fora. "My vote won't go to any of them."

- Tough foe -

Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, boasting he is fitter than ever despite his advanced age.

He made Brazilian sovereignty a central plank of his campaign, warning Trump not to "meddle" in Brazilian elections.

The former union leader has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment while massively curbing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

But voters complain about a high cost of living, and many are jaded by violence and crime.

The president unveiled a flurry of crowd-pleasing measures in recent weeks, increasing social welfare payments and banning sports betting that has ensnared many in debts and gambling addiction.

Bolsonaro vowed that Lula would be "ousted from the presidency" on Sunday.

The once little-known Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, has proven a tough foe for Lula, even as it emerged Bolsonaro was under investigation for corruption over the financing of the biopic "Dark Horse" about his father.

He was forced during the campaign to admit he had asked jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, at the heart of one of Brazil's largest financial fraud cases, to bankroll the film.