Brazilians began voting Sunday in a divisive presidential runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a race that will help determine how far the United States expands its influence in Latin America. Polls before the vote showed the two candidates locked in a tight contest. A winner needs more than 50% of the valid votes to take office in January.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison, is an ally of President Donald Trump. He led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier this month, but more than 33 million of nearly 160 million registered voters did not cast ballots in that round.
The two men differ sharply on U.S.-Brazil relations, climate change and social welfare. A Bolsonaro win would shift Brazil, the most populous country in Latin America and its largest economy, to the right. A Lula win would leave Brazil and Mexico, governed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, with center-left leaders.
Lula has faced criticism over the cost of living and public safety. He has pushed recent measures, including debt relief for small businesses and promised free weekend public transit. Bolsonaro has campaigned on a hard-line approach to crime and promised lower food prices. He is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion related to a payment he acknowledged accepting from a discredited banker.
The next president will likely appoint at least three of the 11 Supreme Federal Court justices. Lula has accused Trump’s government of threatening to interfere in the election through tariffs and sanctions. Bolsonaro denies that the U.S. government is helping his campaign.
Results are typically released within a few hours after polling places close at 5 p.m. Brasília time.
