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Brazilians head to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff between incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in what’s become the country’s most significant election since the return of democracy almost four decades ago.
Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m. local time, with the governorships for states including Sao Paulo, the most populous, also being decided.
Over 156 million voters are choosing between two starkly different visions for their country: The man universally known as Lula, 77, who governed Brazil between 2003 and 2011, has stumped on memories of past prosperity, and touts his previous experience in office as a means to heal the nation’s deep divisions and end hunger.
Bolsonaro, 67, a God-fearing, former army captain whose style is frequently compared to Donald Trump’s, draws on deep support from Brazil’s powerful agribusiness sector and evangelical community. He pledges to bring Christian values to the top levels of power while cutting bureaucratic red tape to spur growth.
The clash between the country’s two largest political personalities has resulted in a bitter, and at times violent contest, that’s raised concern among electoral authorities and international allies. Both candidates allege their opponent will do irreparable harm. Bolsonaro claims his leftist rival will throw Latin America’s largest economy down a path like Venezuela or Nicaragua. Lula says the far-right president will hollow out democratic institutions if granted another four-year term.
Polls leading into Sunday’s vote show Lula holding a slim lead, but Bolsonaro surprised pollsters with a far stronger-than-expected showing in the first-round vote on October 2.
—Bloomberg