&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Brazil votes in Lula vs Bolsonaro election showdown: Will it go to a runoff?")
Millions of Brazilians are voting on Sunday in an election dominated by two rivals: incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro who Lula defeated four years ago. While there are twelve candidates on the presidential ballot, the real contest is between Lula and Bolsonaro. If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the vote, the top 2 will advance to a runoff on Oct. 25. Approximately 158.7 to 160 million registered voters are casting ballots, not only to elect the next President, but also Vice President, all members of the Chamber of Deputies, a portion of the Federal Senate, and state governors. According to a first-round public opinion poll, Lula da Silva is leading at 46 per cent and Flávio Bolsonaro at 45 per cent.
Election campaigns
Both Lula and Bolsanaro are at neck-and-neck and poll results will be hours after polls wrap up. Brazil holds general elections every four years, and voting is mandatory. Those who fail to cast a ballot without justification face a small fine. While Jair Bolsanaro was barred from running as he serves a 27-year-long sentence for a coup attempt, his eldest son has vowed to take forward his father's ultra-conservative agenda. He has campaigned around security policies and pledged to fight the country's criminal groups by building El Salvador-style megaprisons.
Lula, on the other hand, is banking on his populist pitches, and a sudden crackdown on online betting. He has craved an image of his own worldwide as he protested US President Donald Trump. He even warned the US not to meddle in Brazil's elections. Bolsonaro's victory would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries -- including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru -- that have elected Trump-friendly governments in recent years. Lula has made defending Brazilian sovereignty a major campaign issue. In the days before the election, his team launched a Portuguese version of the Bad Bunny song, "Lo que le paso a Hawaii," which invokes the US colonization of Hawaii as a cautionary tale.
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