Brazil votes in pivotal presidential election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro

Brazil is holding the first round of a presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, while 45-year-old Flávio Bolsonaro represents the right. Polls released before voting showed no clear frontrunner.

If neither candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held on 25 October. Voters are also choosing 27 state governors, all 513 members of the federal congress and 54 of Brazil’s 81 senators.

Lula and Bolsonaro campaigns

Lula voted in São Bernardo do Campo, where his political career began. He said voters faced a choice between strengthening democracy and “barbarism”, while dismissing the importance of the latest polls and saying the vote itself would decide the race.

Flávio Bolsonaro voted in Rio de Janeiro and urged supporters of other rightwing candidates to back him. He said his campaign’s internal polling showed some of those voters had moved to his side.

Jair Bolsonaro’s political legacy

Former president Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Earlier this year, polls indicated that some of his supporters would have preferred São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas or former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro as the candidate, but he selected his eldest son.

Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign was also affected by a recording in which he asked a banker accused of corruption for $26.8m to fund a film about his father. Despite the controversy, the senator remained competitive.

Foreign policy and the Amazon

Lula has presented himself as one of the region’s few remaining leftwing leaders willing to oppose Donald Trump. He accused the US president of trying to influence Brazil’s election in Bolsonaro’s favour, while Flávio Bolsonaro has frequently praised Trump and pledged to join a US-led anti-drug-cartel coalition.

A Lula supporter who works for the government in Amazonas state and asked to remain anonymous said she feared weaker protections for Indigenous peoples and the Amazon if his opponent won. She also cited Lula’s social programmes for vulnerable groups.