Brazil braces for results of election battle between Lula and Bolsonaro

Brazilians waited anxiously Sunday for the results of a tight election race between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro that will determine if the Latin American powerhouse joins a regional swing to the right championed by US President Donald Trump. From the Amazon rainforest to the agricultural heartlands in the south and sprawling urban favelas, Brazilians queued to cast their vote, many of them fed-up with familiar choices. Lula, almost 81, is seeking a fourth term in an election which he has branded a battle between democracy and “barbarism,” warning voters that Brazil’s sovereignty is at stake in the face of US pressure. He is facing a tough battle against right-wing senator Bolsonaro, 45, eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election bid. Little known until a few months ago, Flavio Bolsonaro, who describes himself as more moderate than his firebrand father, has vowed to “rescue” Brazil from Lula, corruption, high taxes and crime. Oscarina de Oliveira, a 62-year-old caregiver, told AFP she had planned to vote for Lula, as she always has. But “when I got there, I switched to Bolsonaro. Just to see what happens, to see if anything changes.” Results are expected within a few hours after polls closed, due to the vast nation’s electronic voting system. Opinion surveys show neither Lula or Bolsonaro were likely to score

Reporting from Vanguard news wire services. Full analysis by The Abuja Times editorial desk.