OMM Newsroom
Polling stations opened across Brazil at 8 am local time on Sunday as voters began casting ballots in a closely contested presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and conservative Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Anadolu Agency reported.
The race pits 80-year-old Lula, of the Workers’ Party, against 45-year-old Bolsonaro, the eldest son and political heir of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The runoff follows a competitive first round on Oct. 4, when Bolsonaro received 47% of valid votes and Lula 45%. Neither candidate won an outright majority.
Polls show candidates tied
The contest entered election day as a statistical dead heat, with a Datafolha poll showing both candidates at 50% of valid votes.
The campaign has focused on the rising cost of living, public insecurity and persistent concerns about corruption affecting Brazilians’ daily lives.
Lula governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and returned to power after defeating Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election by less than two percentage points. That was the narrowest presidential margin in modern Brazilian history. Lula is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term.
More than 150 million voters expected
Flavio Bolsonaro entered the race after his father was barred from holding public office and sentenced to 27 years in prison following investigations into a planned military coup after his 2022 defeat.
The former president’s political base remains strong. His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, won a seat in the Federal Senate during first-round voting.
A victory for Flavio Bolsonaro would mark a return of the right in Brazil and align the country with a broader conservative shift across the region linked to the Trump administration in the United States.
More than 150 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots electronically across Brazil’s 26 states and the Federal District.
Preliminary results are expected shortly after polls close at 5 pm Brasilia time.
