Brazilians vote Sunday in the first round of the presidential election. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro both claimed they could win outright; polls cited by Reuters point to a likely runoff.
Brazil holds the first round of its presidential and legislative elections on Sunday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva closed his campaign with a march in São Paulo. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro joined a motorcycle caravan in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste and Americana and later rallied in Rio de Janeiro, Reuters reported.
Both men said they expected a first-round win. Bolsonaro told supporters he was convinced everything was in place to win in the first round. A candidate needs more than 50 percent of valid votes, excluding blank and null ballots. Otherwise the top two meet in a runoff on 25 October. Reuters said polls point to a likely runoff.
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Reuters said the former president is under house arrest after being convicted of attempting to overturn the 2022 result, which he lost to Lula. Al Jazeera described the sentence differently; this brief follows the Reuters account.
EFE reported that Brazilians abroad can also vote, including almost 80,000 in Lisbon, the largest overseas polling place, and more than 40,000 in Spain. Those are electorate figures from the Spanish wire, not turnout.
Results were not available at the time of this brief. Voting was under way or about to open depending on time zone.
People Sentiments Neutral
- Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro each told supporters they could win in the first round.
- Reuters said published polls instead point to an 25 October runoff.
- No official first-round result had been released.