Brazil Votes in Polarised Presidential Election as Lula Faces Flávio Bolsonaro

AFP

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

Brazilians are heading to the polls on Sunday for the first round of a closely contested and highly polarised presidential election between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, while Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is campaigning on the conservative legacy of his father and has positioned himself as an ally of US President Donald Trump. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence following his conviction over an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2022 election.

The race has tightened in the final days of campaigning. Recent polls have shown Lula slightly ahead of Bolsonaro, while indicating that neither candidate is likely to secure more than 50% of valid votes in the first round. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two will face each other in a run-off on 25 October.

Lula has presented himself as a critic of US influence in the region and has accused Washington of attempting to interfere in Brazil’s election. Bolsonaro, meanwhile, has expressed support for closer ties with the United States and has echoed his father’s conservative political platform.

The election is taking place amid a broader shift towards right-wing politics in parts of Latin America. Beyond the presidential race, voters will also elect state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies and two-thirds of the 81-member Federal Senate.

Source: The Guardian



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