Brazil Votes In Tight Presidential Race As Lula Faces Bolsonaro In Likely Runoff

<p><em><strong>Edited by:</strong> Sean Sinico</em></p> <p>Voting began in Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, with leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeking a fourth non-consecutive term and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro seeking to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father, Jair Bolsonaro.</p> <p>Polls have predicted a tight race between the two leading candidates, with neither likely to win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff that would take place on October 25.</p> <p>Lula and Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday in Brazil's economic powerhouse state of Sao Paulo.</p> <h2>Lula vows to 'defeat the far-right'</h2> <p>The 80-year-old Lula capped off his campaign with a tour through the city of Sao Paulo, vowing to "defeat the far right."</p> <p>Organizers said some 150,000 of Lula's supporters turned up for the rally in Brazil's largest city.</p> <p>Lula has campaigned on continuing his left-leaning Workers' Party platform, comprising welfare programs, state-funded development and income redistribution.</p> <p>"The people will have to choose between strengthening the democratic regime and barbarism ... between progress and backwardness," he said as he cast his ballot on Sunday.</p> <h2>Bolsonaro calls for 'change'</h2> <p>Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has served as the Liberal Party's senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019. On Saturday, he led a motorcycle parade through Sao Paulo's countryside cities of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana.</p> <p>He also held up a portrait of his father, while the crowd shouted "mito" &mdash; a Portuguese word for "legend" that Jair Bolsonaro's supporters use to refer to him.</p> <p>The right-wing Bolsonaro has campaigned on hardline security policies and tax cuts, emphasizing high cost of living under Lula, who he has slammed as "incompetent."</p> <p>"Brazil needs change," the son of the former president said as he cast his vote. "Brazil cannot bear any more suffering, such as high taxes, so many women killed."</p> <h2>Brazil's 2022 election rematch</h2> <p>The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence in prison for attempting a coup to overturn his loss to Lula in the 2022 presidential election. Flavio Bolsonaro has vowed to pardon his father if elected.</p> <p>Lula's team has cast the Bolsonaro movement as a threat to Brazil's sovereignty, pointing to Flavio and Jair's ties with US President Donald Trump, who last year slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in response to Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial. The US president called the case a "witch hunt."</p> <p>The younger Bolsonaro has said in interviews he is "more moderate" than his father, who he has nevertheless said will remain "my compass, my point of reference."</p> <p>Policies where both Bolsonaros are similar include relaxed gun control laws and skepticism of human-caused climate change.</p> <p>Trump has not endorsed the senator, but has said he is watching the election "very closely."</p> <h2>What happens next?</h2> <p>Brazil finds itself politically divided, and campaigning has been bitter, with online operations from both sides seizing on every gaffe, accusation and rumor, quickly producing slick videos or AI-generated images for social media.</p> <p>In September, it was revealed Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion tied to the financing of a biopic about his father. He has denied any misconduct.</p> <p>The latest polling for the first round of voting shows Lula at 46% and Bolsonaro at 45%, according to the Brazilian data intelligence and public opinion research firm Quaest cited by Reuters news agency.</p> <p>In the case of a run-off, the Quaest poll shows Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 44%.</p> <p>In 2022, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by only 1.8 percentage points.</p> <p>Along with voting for president, Brazil's 160 million registered voters are also choosing other lawmakers, governors, and some senators.</p> <p><em>If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to </em>select us as your Preferred Source on Google<em>, so you'll always see our verified news first.</em></p> <p><em>(<strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This report first appeared on <strong>Deutsche Welle</strong>, and has been republished on <strong>ABP Live</strong> as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by <strong>ABP Live</strong>.)</em></p>

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