NewzSAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilians vote Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, ideological opposites who are each seen as having a shot at an outright victory.If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America's economic powerhouse.
Ten other candidates are expected to garner much smaller numbers of votes on Sunday.Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of U.S. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil's ties with Beijing.Trump allies have found support in recent years in some Latin American countries, including Argentina, Colombia and Peru.Almost 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in this tense political showdown.Bolsonaro leans into Trump allianceWhere Bolsonaro has leaned into his ideological alliance with Trump, Lula has criticized Washington. He has often spoken about risks of U.S.
intervention in the Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against Brazilian exports, revoked the visa of the country’s ambassador in D.C. and sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who chaired the probe that ended up resulting in the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's predecessor.Flávio Bolsonaro has touted his proximity to the White House and insisted Brazil needs to strike better deals with the Trump administration, including the rare minerals economy. Brazil estimates its deposits to hold up to 21 million tons, second only to China.
Bolsonaro also has campaigned on releasing his father from his 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup and bringing him back to politics.Bolsonaro denies he's being helped by the U.S. "That narrative won't stick, sorry,” he said at a September campaign event.Brazilians will also elect 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal congressmen and 54 of the country’s 81 senators in Sunday's vote.Last-minute mistakes could decide raceThomas Traumann, a political consultant based in Rio de Janeiro, says last-minute mistakes by either candidate or by their allies could make all the difference for undecided voters.“ Polarization in Brazil created a trap. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) has slammed Flavio Bolsonaro as a 'nobody' who is 'not even fit to be a building manager'.
(AFP pic)BRASILIA: Brazilians will vote Sunday in a toss-up race between president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro that will decide whether Latin America's biggest nation follows a regional swing to the right championed by US President Donald Trump.From villages deep in the Amazon rainforest to the agricultural heartlands in the south and sprawling urban favelas, Brazilians are facing a familiar cast -- with many forced to pick who they least dislike.At 80, the veteran leftist Lula is seeking a fourth and final term in office, warning voters that Brazil's sovereignty is at stake due to pressure from Trump.He is facing a tough battle from right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election bid.Opinion polls show neither candidate is likely to reach more than the 50% threshold required to win in the first round on Sunday, putting them neck-and-neck in an Oct 25 runoff.Lula has an advantage in Brazil's poor northeast, and among low-income voters, Catholics, and women. Bolsonaro leads in the south, among wealthier voters and evangelicals.Both have extremely high rejection rates in the deeply polarised nation where a bitter election campaign featured more scandals and mud-slinging than policy and promises.Lula has slammed Bolsonaro as a "nobody" who is "not even fit to be a building manager."Bolsonaro, who has cast himself as more "moderate" than his firebrand father, said Lula was "incompetent," declaring: "Brazil can't stand you anymore."Voter turnout and last-minute choices are expected to be key."I've voted for Lula before, but he's getting old and this time I wanted something different. But I'm not going to vote for a Bolsonaro...so I'm kind of lost," said Joelio Camargo, 52, a motorcycle courier in Brasilia.'More enemies'Lula, revered for social welfare programs that lifted millions out of poverty, made a dramatic comeback to office in 2022 elections after a massive corruption scandal that saw him jailed for over 18 months.The charges, thrown out on procedural grounds, have continued to haunt him.He beat Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 by only 1.8 percentage points.Riots in Brasilia and the botched…
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