Uruguay

Montevideo, October 4, 2026. For the Uruguayan press, the first round of the Brazilian elections this Sunday, October 4, far exceeds the national framework. El Observador describes an election as "polarized and of strong regional impact": 158 million eligible voters, 13 registered candidates, and two favorites, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator and son of Jair Bolsonaro.

Subrayado reports on the closing of the campaign on Saturday, October 3. Lula traveled through São Paulo in a crowd, surrounded by a "red tide" that paralyzed the Paulista Avenue; he is seeking a fourth term at nearly 81 years old and has promised to fight for the Brazilian people to "defeat the far right". Flávio Bolsonaro, for his part, toured the interior of the state at the head of a procession of hundreds of motorcycles, in the style of his father. Since neither of the two is reaching a majority in the polls, a second round is expected on October 25.

The American dimension dominates the local reading. El Observador recalls that Donald Trump is following the election "very closely", without official support, but that he received Flávio at the White House in May and took sanctions against Brazilian officials, accused by him of leading a "witch hunt" against Jair Bolsonaro. Lula has made sovereignty his central theme and accuses his rival of submitting to Washington. The article frames the vote in the "orange wave", an expression coined by The Economist to describe the shift to the right of several Latin American countries; a victory for Lula would keep Brazil among the few progressive governments, along with Mexico and Uruguay.

The Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), the majority current of the Frente Amplio of President Yamandú Orsi, took a position on Saturday. Its national leadership considers this election "the most relevant from a geopolitical point of view for our countries" and states that Lula's re-election "would slow down the direct intervention of the United States in the region", citing Lula's phrase: "Brazil does not fit in anyone's backyard". La Diaria, El Observador, and Subrayado relay this statement, which also praises the Orsi government's record: 40,000 jobs in 16 months.

El Observador finally notes that Lula's record combines minimal unemployment and contained inflation, but also an economy that is slowing down and insecurity that worries Brazilians. It reports that Washington suspended its consular services in Brazil on Friday for "security concerns", without specifying which ones; Australia closed its embassy for the same reason.