Bolsonaro,  one of the presidential candidates formally registered for  Brazil ’s 2026 election, began the event with supporters at Marco Zero in Old Recife before walking to Cais da Alfândega  for the main rally.

Bolsonaro targets Lula and Supreme Court

During his speech, Bolsonaro focused his criticism on Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. He claimed Lula’s ministers were protecting Moraes and linked the issue to the presidential election .

"Lula's ministers are protecting Alexandre de Moraes. Do you know why? Because they are betting on Lula's re-election so that everything ends in a cover-up in the Supreme Court. But that is not going to happen, because we are going to win these elections in the first round," Bolsonaro told his supporters.

Bolsonaro also questioned Lula's government's economic and social record and criticised the Workers’ Party (PT).

"And with the continuity of this government, if it does continue, do you think Brazil would have more or less corruption, or even more, with another four years of this government? Would you suffer more or less violence? You would suffer more. But I, together with each one of you here, together we will rescue this Brazil," he said.

Bolsonaro added that he would not allow Brazil "to sink into this sea of mud created by Lula", and he called the president "a liar, a corrupt man and incompetent".

Supporters back Bolsonaro

Supporters attending the rally also voiced their backing for Bolsonaro.

Linda, one of those at the event, said she believed voters wanted a change in leadership.

"I trust in Flavio Bolsonaro's victory because the people are tired of theft, of the PT's theft. So enough of this dishonest old guard in power," she said.

The Pernambuco visit forms part of Bolsonaro’s campaign efforts in Brazil’s north-east.

Brazil’s first-round election is officially scheduled for October 4, with a possible presidential run-off on October 25 if no candidate receives the required majority. Voters will also elect governors, senators and federal, state and district deputies.

Speaking to supporters on Avenida Paulista, Bolsonaro said he campaigns wearing protective gear and portrayed voters as his defence.

"I want to assure everyone that I campaign wearing a bulletproof vest. I put my chest on the line for the Brazilian people, because I know that, deep down, you, the Brazilian people and the Brazilian electorate, are the vest that defends our democracy today," he said.

Bolsonaro also presented his presidential bid as a protest and argued that Brazil could prosper under a different political direction.

"This is the Brazil of the future I want: a Brazil where people do not have to rely on a politician simply to put food on the table. My candidacy is a protest, it seeks to show that Brazil can be fixed, that Brazil has a future and that Brazil can prosper," he said.

Security formed a major part of his speech. Bolsonaro said Comando Vermelho and militias would be classified as terrorist organisations. He also proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility and introducing tougher sentences for crimes.

"I will work to approve chemical castration for rapists and abusers of women. Mobile phone thieves will serve a minimum sentence of eight years in prison and will have to work to pay for their own upkeep," he announced.

The rally also featured slogans against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and criticism of Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes amid tensions between the court and Bolsonarismo.

"We must protect the Supreme Court from Alexandre de Moraes. That rotten apple cannot be allowed to contaminate the whole Court. The Supreme Court is not Alexandre de Moraes; the Judiciary is not Alexandre de Moraes; the magistracy is not Alexandre de Moraes," Bolsonaro said.

While Bolsonaro addressed supporters in Sao Paulo, Lula led a civic-military parade in Brasilia marking 204 years of Brazil's Independence. The events came ahead of the first round of the presidential election on October 4.

The event was held near Posto 5, one of the main political strongholds of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who served from 2019 to 2022.

Flavio Bolsonaro focused his campaign message on public security, fighting drug trafficking and taking a tough stance against organised crime.

He also criticised President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over his foreign policy, arguing that the government was focusing on diplomatic tensions instead of Brazil's domestic problems.

"(Lula) fights against countries that are 10,000 kilometres away from us. But the current government does not fight traffickers, does not fight murderers, does not fight robbers. I am going to fight for you!" the legislator said.

At the event, supporter Leticia Soares backed Bolsonaro's candidacy and said she expected an economic recovery. She also highlighted the possibility of closer political ties with Argentine President Javier Milei.

"The economy is going to go from zero to 100 per cent. And with Milei, being together, we can only grow. The economy is growing all over the world ; grow together," the activist said.

Another supporter, Mauricio Vargas, said he believed a Flavio Bolsonaro government aligned with US President Donald Trump could tackle Brazil's main criminal groups.

"The right-wing government of Flavio Bolsonaro, aligned with President Trump of the United States , will be very good for the nation to put an end to the PCC (First Command of the Capital) and the Comando Vermelho," Vargas said.

Bolsonaro also defended the legacy of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest and barred from political office for his attempted involvement in a coup in 2022.

He promised to confront the political system, reduce public spending and cut government posts.

Flavio Bolsonaro's campaign launch coincided with the official start of Lula's campaign, as the president held his first event in São Paulo.

"It is against the sell-out of Flavio Bolsonaro and his allies, who are simply trying to sell Brazil in exchange for a green card, for support in Donald Trump's elections ," student Luna said.

Demonstrators also criticised Tarcisio's management of education in Sao Paulo state. A survey by the APEOESP trade union association published in April recorded broad opposition within the education community to the state government's policies.

"We are on the streets in defence of our education , in defence of our country," demonstrator Pacu Haddad told Viory.

The protest comes as Brazil's political contest intensifies ahead of the 2026 presidential election, in which Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is among the main contenders.

"This is a simulation of my image and my voice made with artificial intelligence. I am imprisoned and silenced by an unjust and arbitrary decision, based on something I never did. But I guarantee you one thing: no prison will silence the feeling of hope that we awakened," the AI-generated message said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared in a recorded video congratulating Flavio Bolsonaro on his nomination.

"You are a great defender of Brazil . You are a great defender of the friendship between our peoples. And I know that you will lead Brazil to achieve ever greater accomplishments. Congratulations," Netanyahu said.

In his speech, Flavio Bolsonaro described the 2018 stabbing of his father, his imprisonment and the restrictions placed on him as three attempts to remove Jair Bolsonaro from political life. He accused opponents of "silencing the greatest leader of the right that this country has had" and pledged to "free Brazil" from what he called "the dirty hands of Lula and the Workers' Party."

He also said he leaves home each day wearing a bulletproof vest and accompanied by security , but that it would not stop him from running.

"With that purpose, today I assume, before God and before all of you, my Brazilian nation, the mission of being a candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Brazil of the future," he said.

Flavio Bolsonaro also called for constitutional changes, lower taxes and tougher criminal laws, including treating 14-year-olds convicted of rape as adults, longer prison terms for assaults on women and chemical castration for people convicted of raping children .

At a separate Workers' Party convention, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said "this 80-year-old young man will win the elections again", signalling his intention to seek a fourth presidential term overall. Lula is currently serving his third, non-consecutive term.

“For the first time, I am going to include the issue of national defence in a government programme so that we can make a public commitment,” he said.

Lula stressed that Brazil has no intention of threatening other countries but said it could not afford to be unprepared.

He questioned the commitment of major powers to nuclear disarmament and pointed to military expansion by countries including Pakistan, India, China and the United States .

“It is full of madmen in the world. Right now, the president of the United States wants to keep Greenland and says that Canada is going to become a state. He wants to take the Panama Canal,” Lula said.

The president added that Brazil should recognise its size and strategic importance within Latin America .

He said he did not want war but also did not want Brazil “to be caught by surprise.”

Lula is seeking re-election in October and is expected to face right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. National security has emerged as a key issue in the campaign, with Bolsonaro focusing his proposals on tougher measures against organised crime and drug trafficking.

A series of strong earthquakes struck multiple regions across the globe within 12 hours, with the strongest a magnitude 6.5 earthquake off the coast of the southern Philippines.

The USGS recorded 11 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or higher during the period, affecting countries across Asia, Oceania, Central America and the Caribbean. The events ranged from magnitude 4.6 to 6.5, highlighting the concentration of seismic activity along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates frequently interact.

The largest event was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck 34 kilometres west-southwest of Sarangani, Philippines, at a depth of 42 kilometres.

The quake occurred in a region that is among the world's most seismically active due to the interaction of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The USGS assigned the event a Green PAGER alert, indicating that widespread fatalities or major economic losses were unlikely.

The tremor came less than three weeks after a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Mindanao on June 8, underscoring the region's continued seismic activity.

Japan recorded two earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5 during the same period.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Yokoshiba at a depth of 43 kilometres, followed later by a magnitude 5.7 event near Oshino at 50.9 kilometres depth, according to the USGS.

Japan sits atop the convergence of four major tectonic plates and experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, making it one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

Elsewhere, the USGS recorded:

Most of these earthquakes occurred along active plate boundaries, particularly around the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped belt that accounts for roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes and about 75% of active volcanoes, according to the USGS.

Why earthquakes cluster along the Ring of Fire

The Ring of Fire stretches around the Pacific Ocean through the Americas, East Asia and Oceania. Continuous movement of tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes as plates collide, separate or slide past one another.

Countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand routinely experience significant seismic activity because they lie directly on these plate boundaries.