Brazil chooses between BRICS and Trump ally in presidential runoff
Brazil has voted in a fiercely contested presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, with early results showing Lula taking an initial lead.
The election could determine whether Latin America's largest economy maintains its prominent role in BRICS or moves closer to Washington. Bolsonaro has openly questioned Brazil's membership in the bloc, accusing Lula of using it to antagonize the United States.
The vote count has been overshadowed by a last-minute Supreme Court decision to extend voting hours nationwide by two hours, following allegations of voter suppression and disruptions to public transport.
Contested Campaign
The campaign has been marked by political violence and allegations of interference by US technology giant Meta, which has denied deliberately favoring Bolsonaro. The two candidates entered the runoff after Bolsonaro narrowly defeated Lula in the October 4 first round, securing 47.03% of the vote to the incumbent's 45.16%.
The last major opinion polls released before Brazil's presidential runoff showed Flavio Bolsonaro holding a narrow advantage over incumbent Lula da Silva.
Early Results
According to the first figures published by Brazil's electoral authorities, Lula has taken an early lead in the presidential runoff, receiving 57.66% of valid votes against Bolsonaro's 42.34%, with just 0.25% of polling stations counted as of 5:06pm Brasília time.
The extremely limited count does not provide a reliable indication of the eventual outcome, particularly as the nationwide extension of voting hours has disrupted the normal release of results. Final results are expected as all polling stations complete their extended hours.
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