DOMINANT ANGLE
Quito views this Brazilian election as a test of the balance of power in Latin America in the face of pressure from Washington, rather than just a national election.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
More than 158 million Brazilians are called to the polls on Sunday, October 4, according to Primicias.
- 02
No candidate reaches the required threshold in the polls: a second round would pit Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro on October 25 (El Universo).
- 03
Lula, nearly 81 years old, is running for a fourth term; Flávio Bolsonaro is 45 years old and is the son of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), according to El Universo.
ANALYSIS
Quito, October 4, 2026. For the Ecuadorian press, the first round of the Brazilian presidential election far exceeds Brazil's borders. Primicias headlines with elections "that can redefine the balance of power in the region" and recalls that more than 158 million Brazilians are called to the polls this Sunday, October 4.
The newspaper describes a tense campaign closing, "between accusations and polemics". Lula estimates that "the elections will be defined on Sunday", while Senator Flávio Bolsonaro claims that the outgoing president "will be expelled" from power. On Saturday, October 3, the two rivals held caravans and motorcycle parades in front of thousands of supporters.
The reading is first and foremost geopolitical. Primicias writes that the country, "the largest in South America", is one of the most coveted pieces on Donald Trump's chessboard, and that the result will shape the Latin American political map for the remainder of the Republican's term. The daily speaks of a choice between maintaining Lula and "the rise of the ultra-rightist Flávio Bolsonaro", in the face of pressure from Washington.
El Universo, which reprints an AFP dispatch, emphasizes the generational and family duel. Lula, who is seeking a fourth term at nearly 81 years old, was to close his campaign perched on the roof of a car in front of the crowd in São Paulo, the city where he had already ended his campaign four years ago, when he won against Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) in a tumultuous second round. Flávio, 45, travels through the interior of the state of São Paulo by motorcycle, "in the style" of his father, and seeks to join the progress of conservative governments in Latin America.
The newspaper notes that Donald Trump, an ally of Jair Bolsonaro, is closely following the election. It quotes a 44-year-old teacher, Adriana Lima, who came to Lula's rally dressed in red: "Trump wants to make our Brazil his backyard, this cannot be." The polls do not give either candidate enough to win in the first round: a second round is scheduled for October 25.
The two media outlets thus place the American stake at the center of the narrative, more than the economic or social programs of the candidates.
