Voters in Brazil opened the first round of a general election on Sunday, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leading a race that polls suggest is headed for an October 25 runoff.
Brazilians began voting on Sunday in the first round of a general election that will choose a president, all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies and two-thirds of the Senate. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time and were scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Brasilia time, Reuters and The Guardian reported.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, is seeking another term. His main challenger is Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro is barred from running and is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after the 2022 election, BBC and The New York Times reported.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of valid votes to win outright. Reuters said surveys showed Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro roughly even in a likely runoff on 25 October, and that other candidates, including former governors Ronaldo Caiado and Romeu Zema, had struggled to break through. BBC Brasil's tracker had both leaders hovering around 40 percent before the vote.
Reuters described a campaign dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of U.S. meddling, with limited policy debate after both leading candidates skipped major television debates. The next government will inherit high public debt and a weak growth outlook, Reuters reported.
Official results were expected after polls closed. The Guardian said Brazil's electoral authority would begin releasing figures when voting ended, with a final tally likely later on Sunday. A runoff, if required, is set for 25 October.