Brazil votes in presidential contest between leftist Lula and right-wing Bolsonaro’s son

Brazilians voted on Sunday in a closely contested presidential runoff between leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro’s surprise first-round victory gave him an early advantage, but Lula gained ground during the runoff campaign, leaving the contest virtually tied, according to the Guardian report. Final polls published on Saturday showed the senator slightly ahead.

The first round saw the narrowest gap between the two candidates recorded in the election, at less than two percentage points. The runoff outcome is expected to be decided by a small margin in Latin America’s largest country, which has an electorate of 159 million.

Lula, 80, focused much of his campaign on voter turnout after abstention reached a record high in the first round. His campaign also sought to mobilise voters concerned about a return to power by the Bolsonaro family.

Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, a congressman for more than two decades, has promised to pardon his father if elected. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest while serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election defeat to Lula through a coup.

After voting in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning, Flávio Bolsonaro called for change, saying Brazil could not continue for another four years under the current administration. Lula voted in São Bernardo do Campo, where his political career began, and expressed confidence that voters would support him.

The candidates drew large crowds at their final campaign rallies on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte.

The race has also been shaped by concerns about security, social welfare and democracy. Flávio Bolsonaro has proposed a tougher law-and-order policy, including five “mega-prisons” inspired by facilities in El Salvador, and has advocated chemical castration for rapists.

Some voters backing Lula have warned that a Bolsonaro presidency could threaten social rights and democratic institutions. Bolsonaro supporters, meanwhile, have criticised Lula’s administration and called for tougher action on crime.

The senator began the runoff campaign with the support of most other defeated candidates but subsequently stagnated in opinion polls. Political scientist Helcimara de Souza Telles told the Guardian that civil society movements, including student-led demonstrations, had helped Lula regain support.

Flávio Bolsonaro is also under investigation in two federal police inquiries concerning alleged corruption and money laundering, according to the report.

The campaign has been marked by political tensions and violence. In northern Minas Gerais state, Iara Pimentel, a councillor from Lula’s party, suffered facial injuries after a motorcade in which she was travelling was struck by glass bottles and bricks allegedly thrown by Bolsonaro supporters.

The result was expected late on Sunday. The Guardian report said some analysts feared that, if Lula overturned his first-round defeat, Flávio Bolsonaro might refuse to concede, as his father did after losing in 2022. It also raised the possibility that US President Donald Trump, a longstanding ally of the Bolsonaro family, could refuse to recognise the result.