Polls close in tight Brazilian presidential election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro

Polls have closed in Brazil following a tight first round of the presidential election on Sunday, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, and France 24 reported. Left-wing incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is facing right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former populist President Jair Bolsonaro. According to the BBC, about 160 million people were eligible to vote in the election. [1][2][3][4][6]

Early vote counting showed Senator Flávio Bolsonaro leading the race, but his lead narrowed as more votes came in, according to Deutsche Welle and Reuters. The BBC and Deutsche Welle noted that if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the first round, the election will proceed to a run-off on 25 October. [1][2][4][10]

The BBC reported that the 80-year-old Lula warned after casting his ballot that the choice was between democracy and barbarism. His 45-year-old challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro, stated that he wanted to free the Brazilian people. France 24 reported that the election campaign was dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety, and accusations of United States meddling. [1][3]

Lula is a member of the Workers' Party who previously served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, before returning to office in 2023 following the 2022 general election. Al Jazeera noted that Lula is currently seeking a fourth term in office. [6][13][15]