RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Brazilians voted on Sunday in a closely contested runoff between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
It is the final electoral battle for Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday and is hoping to pull off a dramatic turnaround after coming in second to the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro in the first round of voting. Final polls showed the two candidates neck-and-neck.
Sunday’s runoff will determine whether Brazil remains one of Latin America’s few leftist nations or joins a regional swing to the right championed by US President Donald Trump, though he has not openly endorsed Flavio.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, has pitched himself as a bulwark against US interference and democratic backsliding and promised to expand social protections.
The right “wants to govern with the American flag,” he said after casting his ballot in the state of Sao Paulo.
Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has vowed to crack down on crime and slash government spending, while handing Brazil to “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“The time has come for real change,” he declared after voting in Rio de Janeiro. “Brazil can’t stand another four years like this.”
“This is about renewal, enough of the same old thing,” 67-year-old retiree Eduardo Viana told AFP, adding that Lula “says he governs for the poor… just look, people can’t even go to the supermarket.”
After its first-round defeat, the left swung into action with massive rallies declaring “Never Again Bolsonaro,” where protesters recalled the former president’s handling of the Covid pandemic, devastation of the Amazon rainforest and cuts to public programs.
Polling stations will close at 5:00 pm local time (2000 GMT), and results are expected within hours.
Lula, revered for social welfare programs that lifted millions out of poverty, made a dramatic comeback to office in the 2022 elections.
In his third term he has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment, and lifted millions out of hunger, but voters complain about the cost of living and a sense of insecurity.
After his first-round blow, Lula revamped his social media strategy and even bought his first cellphone.
A fierce social media battle drew in Meta, parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, which Lula’s campaign accused of favouring his opponent with “algorithmic manipulation.”
Meta denied this but acknowledged that some of Lula’s campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.
