Chile

Santiago, October 4, 2026. Chilean media is covering the Brazilian presidential election as a tight duel between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, a candidate for a non-consecutive fourth term, and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president, presented as "ultraderechista". The vote takes place this Sunday, October 4; if no one obtains a majority, a second round is set for October 25.

Polls dominate the narrative. La Tercera cites the CNT/MDA survey, conducted from September 29 to October 2: Lula at 43.1% against 38% for Bolsonaro, or 47.8% against 42.1% in valid votes, with a margin of error of 2.2 points. BioBioChile, which relies on three surveys relayed by Bloomberg, talks about an election "que nadie se atreve a dar por resuelta": AtlasIntel gives 47% against 44%, Datafolha 45% against 42%, Globo 46% against 45%, while Quaest places Bolsonaro ahead, 44% against 42%. The media notes that these gaps are, statistically, ties.

On Saturday, October 3, Lula closed his campaign in São Paulo, the country's largest electoral college. El Ciudadano recalls that the state has more than 34 million voters; BioBioChile and La Tercera describe a caravan of thousands of people dressed in red, which the PT has dubbed "the last ball". Lula invited people to vote, knowing that on one side are "democracy and sovereignty" and on the other "barbarism and corruption", and promised to ban online betting and put an end to the 6x1 work schedule.

On the Bolsonaro side, BioBioChile reports a campaign shaken by the Banco Master affair: the police are examining Flávio's contacts with Daniel Vorcaro, the former imprisoned owner of the bank, whom he had solicited to finance a film about his father. The candidate denies it. The media also notes the harsh exchanges: Lula called his rival a "traitor, idiot, and coward" accusing him of seeking North American intervention, and Flávio said Lula seemed to be the "chief" of the PCC.

The Chilean prism emerges. BioBioChile devotes an article to what the two candidates have said about Chile, noting that the country is not a central axis for Lula and that the arrival of José Antonio Kast at La Moneda in March, after Gabriel Boric, has not resulted in public distance. The two leaders had met in Panama in January for about an hour and a half. La Tercera finally offers a practical service: Brazilians living in Chile can vote at the Radisson Blu Plaza El Bosque hotel, in Las Condes, from 8 am to 5 pm, Chilean time.