President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva officially launched his campaign for a fourth term on Sunday, accepting the Workers' Party nomination at a convention in São Paulo. Flanked by his running mate, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, the 80-year-old leader told around 3,000 supporters that this would be his seventh and final presidential race. He vowed a more combative style than in previous campaigns, declaring, "I don't want a pacifist Lula. I want a tough Lula who does what we haven't finished doing."

Lula placed the defence of sovereignty at the centre of his speech, warning that "no Chinese, no American, no French will touch our rare earths" without respecting Brazilian law. He promised to increase investment in the defence industry and to protect critical mineral reserves from foreign exploitation. The rhetoric comes after the Trump administration imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian goods in July, moves that Lula's camp attributes to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, his main rival and son of the imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula has called the younger Bolsonaro a "traitor to the homeland" for allegedly encouraging Washington to strike Brazil's economy, an accusation the senator denies.

Party officials amplified the sovereignty theme by warning of foreign interference. PT chairman Edinho Silva said the election "determines the future of Latin America" and pointed to the risk of coordinated bot campaigns and social media manipulation. Brazil's foreign ministry recently denied visas to two US State Department officials, reportedly over concerns they sought to undermine the electronic voting system. Argentine President Javier Milei deepened the diplomatic row by travelling to São Paulo to endorse Bolsonaro and insulting Lula and the Supreme Court justice who oversaw the elder Bolsonaro's coup trial.

A Datafolha poll shows Lula leading a hypothetical runoff with 48 percent to Bolsonaro's 43 percent, though both candidates face high rejection rates. The president can point to solid economic growth and record employment, but voters remain anxious about the cost of living, public security and a fiscal deficit. Corruption investigations also shadow both camps: one probe targets Lula's son for alleged influence-peddling, while another examines whether Flávio Bolsonaro solicited funds from a banker accused of massive fraud. The official campaign period begins on 16 August, with the first round of voting set for 4 October.