Brazil Votes in a Tight Runoff Between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro: What to Know
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Brazilians vote Sunday in a presidential runoff that polls describe as extremely close, choosing between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Both camps held large rallies Saturday, the last day of campaigning, according to ABC News and the BBC.
The result will decide who leads Latin America’s largest economy and may also shape how Brazil deals with Washington.
Who are the candidates?
Lula, 80, is a left-winger seeking a fourth term that is not consecutive, the BBC reported. Bolsonaro, 45, is a right-wing senator and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The BBC reported that the elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election. He is currently serving it under house arrest because of ill health. His son has pledged to release him.
Who is ahead?
Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in the Oct. 4 opening round, beating Lula by more than 2.2 million votes, according to ABC News. The BBC noted that no candidate who trailed after a first round has ever overturned the gap in the runoff.
Still, ABC reported that polls published Saturday point to a tight contest that could turn on small details.
What are the candidates promising?
Bolsonaro’s supporters, the BBC said, expect a tough crackdown on organized crime along with tax and public spending cuts. One supporter told the broadcaster he also promised lower interest rates. Bolsonaro argues that working with Washington against powerful criminal gangs would restore state control in areas they dominate. He also calls Lula’s Workers’ Party corrupt, pointing to financial scandals that have turned many voters against it.
Lula and his party describe the race as a fight for democracy and say the elder Bolsonaro’s conviction shows that “Bolsonarismo” threatens democratic institutions, the BBC reported. At a Copacabana beach rally in Rio de Janeiro, Lula framed the vote as a matter of national sovereignty, according to the BBC. He said voters would decide whether to side with the Brazilian flag or the American one.
Why does the U.S. angle matter?
ABC News said a Bolsonaro win would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries that have elected allies of President Donald Trump in recent years, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru. A Lula victory, it said, would keep some distance between Brazil and Washington.
The BBC reported that relations between Lula and Trump have been rocky. Lula’s administration has accused the United States of interfering in the election, which Washington has called baseless. Trump described Bolsonaro’s first-round result as a “very big” victory, according to the BBC.
What does this mean for voters, and how does voting work?
Almost 160 million Brazilians are eligible to vote, ABC News reported. More than 33 million of them, or 21% of the electorate, skipped the first round and could face a small fine if they gave no justification. People who missed that round can still vote Sunday. Lula’s supporters have organized large rallies to push turnout up, the BBC said.
Voters use electronic machines and punch in the digits that correspond to their candidate. ABC reported that results are available within hours after polls close.
Where will the candidates be when results come in?
Lula plans to watch the results in São Paulo on Sunday evening, the BBC reported. Bolsonaro is expected to be in the capital, Brasília, where his father is under house arrest.
Both camps have also leaned on Minas Gerais, the state that, according to ABC, has long pointed to the winner of Brazil’s elections. Bolsonaro campaigned in its capital, Belo Horizonte, on the eve of the vote, while Lula drew what ABC said may have been the biggest rally of his career on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.
