Brazil Election Polls Close in Tight Race Between Lula and Bolsonaro
The presidential election is projected to be close, with a potential runoff if no candidate secures over 50% of the vote.
Polls have closed in Brazil for a general election where the presidential race is projected to be a tight contest between left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-winger Flávio Bolsonaro. If no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, a second-round runoff will be held on October 25.
President Lula da Silva, 80, stated before casting his ballot that the choice was between democracy and "barbarism." His opponent, 45-year-old Flávio Bolsonaro, expressed a desire to "free the Brazilian people."
According to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE), over 158.7 million citizens were eligible to vote. While Lula faces 11 other candidates, polls suggest that only Lula and Bolsonaro will secure significant portions of the vote, with other candidates expected to collectively receive around 10%.
The TSE has not specified an exact time for the release of official results, but electronic voting is expected to yield results within hours. A victory for Bolsonaro could align Brazil with a recent trend of right-wing electoral wins across Latin America, while a Lula victory might create friction with Washington, given past disagreements on trade and security.
Preliminary vote counts from countries where Brazilians living abroad can vote show mixed results. Lula won the majority of votes in China, South Korea, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia. Conversely, Bolsonaro secured a significant majority of votes in Israel and Japan.
This election will also determine the composition of the Senate for the term beginning February 2027, with 54 of the 81 seats up for contest. Currently, the Liberal Party, Bolsonaro's party, holds the largest bloc in the Senate, followed by the Social Democratic Party, which has supported Lula's government.
In the previous election four years prior, Lula narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro's father. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup and is barred from political office. He is under house arrest due to recurring health issues and is prohibited from social media use and public statements, though he is understood to back his son's candidacy.