Sunday’s tense runoff election sees Brazilians head to polls to vote between Lula and Bolsonaro

A deeply divided contest

The runoff pits Lula, a veteran left-of-center politician who served as president from 2003 to 2010, against Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flávio finished more than 2.2 million votes ahead of Lula in the first round earlier this month.

The candidates differ sharply on social welfare, climate change and relations with the United States. Their contest has revived divisions between Brazil’s political camps, whose supporters can show both strong loyalty and intense hostility.

A Bolsonaro victory would mark a rightward turn for Brazil. It would come after Trump allies won elections in Chile, Peru and Colombia over the past year.

Security and household costs

Lula’s reelection campaign has faced public concerns about crime and the cost of living. Bolsonaro made a tough approach to crime central to his platform and promised to lower food prices.

At a school in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro arrived to vote at about 8 a.m. Supporters of Lula and Bolsonaro traded opposing chants. Fabianne Borges Santoro, a 45-year-old physiotherapist in Rio, said she once voted for Lula’s party but now associates it with corruption.

Campaign appeals and democracy

Lula repeatedly portrayed Bolsonaro as a threat to democratic rule, pointing to his father’s house arrest following an attempted coup. Bolsonaro has said he would seek amnesty for his father if elected.

After losing the first round, Lula introduced costly measures aimed at undecided voters. His administration backed a small-business debt relief plan and promised free public transport on weekends; the Senate also passed a popular government-supported proposal to end the six-day working week. Lula described the measures as generous and said, “I will be forever grateful.”

U.S. influence and trade

Lula raised concerns before the vote about possible U.S. interference in Brazilian politics. The Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian exports, penalized the Supreme Court justice who oversaw the case that led to Jair Bolsonaro’s sentencing, and designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Analysts suggested the cartel designation could make Lula appear weak on crime. Flávio Bolsonaro has emphasized his close ties to the White House and argued Brazil should negotiate better agreements with the Trump administration, particularly on rare earth minerals.

Brazil is estimated to hold 21 million tons of rare earth reserves, placing it behind only China. Flávio Bolsonaro rejects claims that the U.S. government is helping his campaign.