Voters across Brazil braved long lines on Sunday to cast ballots in a presidential race too close to call. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, framed the contest as a choice between democracy and “barbarism,” while his rival Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, promised to “free the Brazilian people.”
With more than 90% of votes counted, Bolsonaro held a slim lead with about 48% to Lula’s 44%, according to Brazil’s electoral authorities. Since neither candidate appears likely to clear the 50% threshold needed for outright victory, the race may head to a runoff on October 25. Eleven other candidates are splitting the remaining votes.
More than 158 million Brazilians, including about a million living abroad, were eligible to vote. Early results from overseas ballots showed Lula winning big in China, South Korea and New Zealand, while Bolsonaro dominated in Israel and Japan.
The election also carries weight beyond Brazil’s borders. A Bolsonaro win would add to a string of recent victories by right-wing, Trump-aligned leaders across Latin America, while a Lula victory would likely deepen tensions with Washington over trade and security.
The vote comes four years after Lula narrowly defeated Flávio’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters later stormed Brazil’s Congress. Jair Bolsonaro is now serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup and is barred from holding office, though he’s widely seen as backing his son’s campaign from house arrest.
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Source: Polls close in Brazil as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro remain neck and neck (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: Astro_Alex, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).