Brazil heads to the polls Sunday with Lula and Bolsonaro running neck-and-neck
Brazilians vote Sunday in a presidential election where polling shows President Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a virtual tie. A runoff on October 25 looms if neither crosses the 50% threshold.
Brazil's presidential election on Sunday pits leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who is seeking to carry forward the political movement built by his father, Jair Bolsonaro. Polling suggests the race is essentially a coin flip.
Figures from pollster Quaest, cited by Reuters, put Lula at 46% support in the first round against 45% for Bolsonaro. Since neither is expected to clear the 50% threshold of valid votes, a runoff on October 25 is likely, where Quaest's numbers give Bolsonaro a slim edge, 44% to 42%.
Closing rallies in Sao Paulo
The 80-year-old Lula closed out his campaign Saturday with an event in Sao Paulo that organizers said drew roughly 150,000 supporters. He pledged to "defeat the far right" and described the vote as a choice between democracy and what he called barbarism and corruption. His platform centers on continuing his Workers' Party agenda of welfare spending and income redistribution.
Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, who has represented Rio de Janeiro in the Senate since 2019, marked his campaign's final day with a motorcycle rally through towns outside Sao Paulo. He is running on tougher security measures and tax cuts, pointing to rising living costs under Lula's government, and said he was confident of an outright first-round win.
A father's shadow and Trump ties
Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss to Lula, and his son has promised to pardon him if elected. Lula's campaign has highlighted the Bolsonaro family's links to US President Donald Trump, who imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports after Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial. Trump has not endorsed either candidate but said he is watching the vote closely.
The campaign has been marked by fierce online battles between rival camps. In September, it emerged that Flavio Bolsonaro is under investigation over alleged corruption and tax evasion linked to financing of a film about his father; he denies wrongdoing. Beyond the presidency, Brazil's 160 million registered voters are also choosing lawmakers and governors.
