Brazilians are heading to the polls for a high-stakes presidential election SAO PAULO -- Brazilians vote Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, ideological opposites who are each seen as having a shot at an outright victory. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America's economic powerhouse.
Ten other candidates are expected to garner much smaller numbers of votes on Sunday. Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of U.S. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil's ties with Beijing.
Trump allies have found support in recent years in some Latin American countries, including Argentina, Colombia and Peru. Almost 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in this tense political showdown. Where Bolsonaro has leaned into his ideological alliance with Trump, Lula has criticized Washington.
He has often spoken about risks of U.S. intervention in the Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against Brazilian exports, revoked the visa of the country’s ambassador in D.C. and sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who chaired the probe that ended up resulting in the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's predecessor. Flávio Bolsonaro has touted his proximity to the White House and insisted Brazil needs to strike better deals with the Trump administration, including the rare minerals economy. Brazil estimates its deposits to hold up to 21 million tons, second only to China.
Bolsonaro also has campaigned on releasing his father from his 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup and bringing him back to politics. Bolsonaro denies he's being helped by the U.S. government. "That narrative won't stick, sorry,” he said at a September campaign event.
Brazilians will also elect 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal congressmen and 54 of the country’s 81 senators in Sunday's vote. Thomas Traumann, a political consultant based in Rio de Janeiro, says last-minute mistakes by either candidate or by their allies could make all the difference for undecided voters. There’s no third candidate.
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