Brazilians Vote in Pivotal Presidential Election

Brazilians are casting their votes on Sunday in a crucial presidential election that pits incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Preelection polls indicated that either candidate could win outright, but if neither secures a majority, a second-round runoff is scheduled for October 25.

Nearly 159 million Brazilians are eligible to participate in the election in Latin America's largest economy. Bolsonaro, an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated four years ago.

This election also includes the selection of 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal deputies in the lower house of Congress, and 54 of the country's 81 senators.

Brazilian voters traditionally use a number-based system to select candidates, recalling specific digits for their chosen politicians. The country adopted electronic voting machines in the 1990s to address long-standing issues of electoral fraud, such as ballot box stuffing, theft, and vote falsification. This technological shift has enabled results to be announced within hours of polls closing.

In the period leading up to the 2022 vote, Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly questioned the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system, despite no significant fraud ever being detected.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at 80 years old, is among the oldest leaders in the Americas, a group that also includes U.S. President Donald Trump and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Should Lula win this election outright against 45-year-old Flávio Bolsonaro, he would set a historic precedent as the oldest individual ever elected to lead the South American nation. Lula has expressed a desire to live to 120 and has shared workout videos in an effort to assure voters that his age does not diminish his capability.