Brazilians Head to Polls as Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro Face Off

Brazilian voters are preparing to decide the country's next president in a runoff election on Sunday. The contest pits Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the current president, against Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing candidate who has gained momentum since the first round.

Lula drew more than one million supporters to a rally on the eve of the vote. About 159 million people, roughly 16 crore, are registered to vote. Polls open at 8 am and close at 6 pm local time.

Flavio Bolsonaro, whose father is former president Jair Bolsonaro, moved into the lead in the first round. He won 47.03 percent of valid votes, compared with 45.16 percent for Lula, a difference of about 1.87 percentage points. Because neither candidate secured more than half of the valid votes, the race went to a second round.

A CNT/MDA survey released on October 24 forecast that Flavio would win 50.7 percent of valid votes and Lula 49.3 percent. Other surveys showed similarly small gaps. However, pollsters note that these figures do not offer a reliable prediction of the final outcome.

Voting is compulsory in Brazil, and about 16 crore citizens are eligible to take part. Those who stayed home in the first round can still vote in the runoff. The election uses electronic voting, and final results are expected within a few hours of the polls closing.

Key issues include the economy, inflation, crime and national sovereignty. Lula has presented welfare programmes, tax relief and a cut in working hours as ways to attract voters. His past tenures are remembered for economic growth and efforts to reduce poverty, although his current government has faced complaints over the cost of living and rising crime.

Flavio Bolsonaro has vowed to strengthen law enforcement and crack down hard on organised crime. His political outlook is largely shaped by the conservative ideology of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving 27 years in prison in a coup conspiracy case connected to his 2022 election defeat.

Voters who supported other candidates or did not vote in the first round are seen as critical. Both campaigns ramped up their efforts in the final hours to court them.

The election may also affect Brazil's foreign policy. As Latin America's biggest economy, Brazil's relationships with the United States and China hold major regional and global importance. US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Flavio Bolsonaro.