Polls close in Brazil as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro run neck and neck
Voting has closed in the first round of Brazil's presidential election, with polling showing only around a two-point gap between incumbent Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. A run-off on 25 October will follow if no candidate wins more than half the vote.
Voting concluded on Wednesday in Brazil's general election, after citizens queued for long stretches to cast ballots in a tightly contested presidential race. After voting, 80-year-old left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the choice facing the country was between democracy and "barbarism." His main rival, 45-year-old right-winger Flávio Bolsonaro, said his goal was to "free the Brazilian people."
According to BBC Brazil's poll aggregator, Lula and Bolsonaro are separated by roughly two percentage points. Should neither candidate secure more than 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on 25 October. Brazil's Superior Electoral Court reports that more than 158.7 million people are eligible to vote, including about one million Brazilians living abroad. Eleven other candidates are also running, though forecasts suggest they will collectively draw only around 10% of the vote.
Official results are expected within hours given Brazil's electronic voting system. Preliminary counts from overseas voting locations have already shown Lula leading comfortably in China, South Korea, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, while Bolsonaro dominated in Israel and Japan.
The election will also shape the Senate's composition from February 2027, with 54 of its 81 seats up for contest. The Bolsonaro family's Liberal Party currently holds the largest Senate bloc.
Four years ago, Lula narrowly defeated Flávio's father, Jair Bolsonaro. Jair is now serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup and is barred from holding office; due to health issues he remains under house arrest rather than in prison and is forbidden from making public statements or posting on social media. Even so, it is widely understood that Flávio Bolsonaro carries his father's backing into this race.
