Brazil votes in closely contested runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro
The incumbent president is seeking a fourth term, while the former president’s son promises a rightward shift and stronger ties with Washington and Israel.
Brazilians return to the polls on Sunday to choose between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential runoff between candidates offering sharply different visions for the country.
Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth term to extend a political career that has shaped Brazil for more than two decades. Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and is campaigning to restore his father’s political legacy.
The left-wing incumbent entered the first round earlier this month ahead in most opinion polls. But Bolsonaro’s stronger-than-expected performance forced a runoff and turned the contest into a tougher race than Lula’s supporters had anticipated.
Neither candidate secured the outright majority required for a first-round victory, prompting Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court to confirm a second round for October 25.
The candidates’ competing foreign policy agendas have become a key dividing line.
Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, advocates closer relations with Washington and has pledged to strengthen ties with Israel. He also seeks to align Brazil more closely with right-wing governments elsewhere in Latin America.
Lula favors an independent foreign policy, maintaining Brazil’s room to maneuver in its relations with Washington while deepening economic ties with China and other countries in the Global South.
Sunday’s vote will determine whether Brazil continues under Lula’s left-wing leadership or shifts to the right under a second member of the Bolsonaro family.