Brazil election: Bolsonaro's lead over Lula narrows as count continues

Brazilians went to the polls on Sunday in a presidential election pitting leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against right-wing populist Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. With about 91% of ballots counted, Flavio Bolsonaro held 48% of the vote compared with just over 44% for Lula, according to the electoral court. Bolsonaro was following the count from the capital, Brasilia, while Lula monitored results from Sao Paulo. Because Brazil relies on electronic voting machines, a final outcome is expected within hours of polls closing.

The candidates' pitches

Lula, 80, closed his campaign with a Sao Paulo rally that organizers said drew roughly 150,000 supporters. He is campaigning on continuing his Workers' Party agenda of welfare programs, state-led development and income redistribution, framing the vote as a choice between strengthening democracy and backsliding.

Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has represented Rio de Janeiro as a Liberal Party senator since 2019. His campaign has centered on tougher security policies and tax cuts, criticizing the high cost of living under the current government. On the eve of the vote he led a motorcycle parade where supporters chanted "mito" (legend) in tribute to his father.

Family and US ties

Flavio's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Lula. The younger Bolsonaro has vowed to pardon his father if elected and maintains close ties to US President Donald Trump, who last year imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports over the elder Bolsonaro's coup trial. Flavio Bolsonaro was revealed in September to be under investigation over alleged corruption and money laundering tied to financing a biopic about his father, which he denies. Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by just 1.8 percentage points in 2022. Roughly 160 million registered voters are also choosing other lawmakers and governors in Sunday's election.