Photo: EFE / Isaac Fontana (via EL PAÍS).
On September 7, Brazil’s Independence Day, presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro used an opposition rally on São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista to attack President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Reuters cited researchers from the University of São Paulo’s Monitor do Debate Político, which estimated about 28,500 people at the rally. A separate UOL report from Agência Estado gave a 12% margin of error, placing peak attendance between 25,100 and 32,000, and compared the total with a 42,200-person count at the same venue in 2025.
Bolsonaro framed the demonstration as opposition to Lula’s government and Moraes, whose handling of investigations and prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro has made him a central figure in the campaign. Flávio told supporters that the political alignment he alleged between Lula and Moraes would end. Those are campaign claims; they do not establish coordination or misconduct.
The rally took place amid an escalating dispute among Supreme Court justices linked to the Banco Master investigation. André Mendonça had disclosed material raising questions about alleged contacts between Moraes and banker Daniel Vorcaro; Moraes sought an investigation into Mendonça, alleging abuse of authority. Moraes has denied wrongdoing. The dispute’s factual and legal questions remain for formal proceedings.
In Brasília, Lula presided over the official civic-military parade, attended by the leaders of Congress and the Supreme Court. A separate candidate, Augusto Cury, held a smaller Independence Day event in Rio de Janeiro, according to EL PAÍS.