Brazil votes: Lula, 80, faces Flavio Bolsonaro as both predict a first-round win
Nearly 160 million Brazilians are eligible to vote on Sunday. Polls show Lula ahead but with a narrowing lead, and a runoff on 25 October looks likely.
Brazilians vote on Sunday, 4 October, in a presidential election between the incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Nearly 160 million people are registered to vote.
Polls released on Saturday suggested Lula was still ahead, but his lead was narrowing and neither candidate was likely to win more than half the vote. If no one does, the top two will meet in a runoff on 25 October.
Both sides confident
Tomorrow, we’re going to win the elections in the first round. — Lula
I am convinced that everything is in place for us to win this election in the first round. — Flavio Bolsonaro
Lula has framed the vote as a choice between “democracy and barbarism”. The campaign has also turned on the cost of living, accusations of US interference, the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system, and a film-funding scandal involving Flavio Bolsonaro.
Why it matters to India
Brazil is India’s partner in BRICS and the G20, and Lula has been an active voice for the Global South in both. The result will shape Brazil’s foreign policy, including its stance on trade with the US and on the groupings in which New Delhi and Brasilia work together.
Sources: Al Jazeera.
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