Lula and Bolsonaro Face Brazil’s Tense Presidential Runoff as Voters Choose Between Rivals

A consequential presidential contest

The runoff will decide whether Lula remains president or Flávio Bolsonaro takes office. A Bolsonaro victory would mark a rightward turn in Latin America’s most populous nation and largest economy; a Lula victory would leave Brazil and Mexico with left-of-center leaders.

The first round earlier this month gave Bolsonaro a lead of more than 2.2 million votes. Yet over 33 million of nearly 160 million voters stayed away, leaving a substantial share of the electorate absent from the first vote.

Corruption and competing visions

Lula portrayed Bolsonaro as a danger to democracy during the campaign. Bolsonaro’s father is under house arrest for attempting a coup, and Bolsonaro has pledged to seek amnesty for him if elected.

Supporters make their case

At a school in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro supporters chanted against Lula as he voted. Lula supporters responded with chants backing him. Many Bolsonaro supporters wore Brazil’s yellow and green jerseys and said they wanted change. Furtado said the country needed a new candidate but had become dominated by Lula and Bolsonaro.

Bus dispute in Bahia

In Bahia, a Lula stronghold, at least 75 public buses were kept from leaving municipal garages on voting day, according to a state electoral judge. The judge ordered the arrest of Salvador mobility secretary Pablo Souza in connection with the case.

Mayor Bruno Reis, an ally of Bolsonaro, blamed trade unionists for illegally placing Workers’ Party materials on transit vehicles. Lula urged officials to respect democracy. International observers said voting was peaceful and transparent earlier in the day, and did not immediately address the bus incident.

U.S. influence in focus

Lula had criticized the U.S. president before the election, citing concerns about intervention in Brazilian politics. The Trump administration imposed high tariffs on Brazilian exports and designated drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations.

Experts said those U.S. measures may have been intended to make Lula appear soft on crime. President Trump said Sunday he was following the election but declined to endorse either candidate.