Brazilians vote on Sunday in a presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, a race described as neck-and-neck after Lula closed the gap in the first round. The Brazil presidential runoff is being watched closely, with preliminary results expected on Sunday night.
According to DW, Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted. Flavio Bolsonaro won the first round, surpassing Lula by more than 2.2 million votes. More than 33 million of nearly 160 million voters abstained.
The first-round gap was the narrowest ever recorded, at less than 2% of the vote, according to the Guardian. The two candidates now go into the runoff virtually tied.
The Guardian reports that Flavio Bolsonaro has promised to pardon his father. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup to overturn his 2022 defeat to Lula. The Guardian also reports that Flavio Bolsonaro is under investigation in two federal police inquiries over alleged corruption and money laundering.
According to DW, around 159 million people are eligible to vote. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win outright.
Both candidates drew large crowds to final campaign rallies on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, the Guardian reported.
According to DW, Lula has campaigned on continuing social policies to boost employment and reduce poverty. Bolsonaro has pledged a tougher course against crime and a political fresh start. The race follows corruption scandals, an economic downturn and accusations of US interference, which Washington denies.
The Guardian reports that analysts believe Lula’s gains came from civil society movements and student-led protests. The same analysts believe a Bolsonaro victory could be backed by the US. These are analysts’ views, and the Guardian is the only full source for them.
If Lula wins, analysts say Bolsonaro could refuse to concede, and that Trump could refuse to recognise the result, according to the Guardian. The White House and the Trump administration have not responded to these claims. The Bolsonaro campaign has not responded to the reported federal police investigations.
The sources also differ on Lula’s age. DW gives it as 80, while the Guardian gives it as 81. Neither source explains the difference.
No official or final results were available at the time of writing, so the outcome is unknown. Al Jazeera provided only a headline and a short excerpt, so its details could not be verified, and the key facts rest on two full sources.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.