Polls have closed in Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, with leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeking a fourth non-consecutive term and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro seeking to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father, Jair Bolsonaro.
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Bolsonaro → close → father
The early results showed a trend favoring Bolsonaro.
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results → show → Bolsonaro
With 10% of the ballots processed, he has received 51% of the vote.
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he → process → vote
Lula has 40.8%, according to the court.
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Lula → have → court
Because Brazil uses electronic voting machines, final results are expected to be available within several hours of the polls closing.
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polls → use → hours
Lula and Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday in Brazil's economic powerhouse state of Sao Paulo.
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Lula → wrap → Paulo
Lula vows to 'defeat the far right'
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The 80-year-old Lula capped off his campaign with a tour through the city of Sao Paulo, vowing to "defeat the far right."
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Lula → cap → right
Organizers said some 150,000 of Lula's supporters turned up for the rally in Brazil's largest city.
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150,000 → say → city
Lula has campaigned on continuing his left-leaning Workers' Party platform, comprising welfare programs, state-funded development and income redistribution.
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Lula → campaign → programs
The people will have to choose between strengthening the democratic regime and barbarism ... between progress and backwardness," he said as he cast his ballot on Sunday.
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he → have → Sunday
Bolsonaro calls for 'change'
Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has served as the Liberal Party's senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019.
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Bolsonaro → call → 2019
On Saturday, he led a motorcycle parade through Sao Paulo's countryside cities of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana.
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he → lead → d'Oeste
He also held up a portrait of his father, while the crowd shouted "mito" — a Portuguese word for "legend" that Jair Bolsonaro's supporters use to refer to him.
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supporters → hold → him
The right-wing Bolsonaro has campaigned on hardline security policies and tax cuts, emphasizing high cost of living under Lula, who he has slammed as "incompetent.
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he → campaign → incompetent
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"Brazil needs change," the son of the former president said as he cast his vote.
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he → need → vote
"Brazil cannot bear any more suffering, such as high taxes, so many women killed.
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women → bear → taxes
Brazil's 2022 election rematch
The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence in prison for attempting a coup to overturn his loss to Lula in the 2022 presidential election.
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Bolsonaro → serve → election
Flavio Bolsonaro has vowed to pardon his father if elected.
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Bolsonaro → vow → father
Lula's team has cast the Bolsonaro movement as a threat to Brazil's sovereignty, pointing to Flavio and Jair's ties with US President Donald Trump, who last year slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in response to Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial.
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who → cast → trial
The US president called the case a "witch hunt."
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president → call → case
The younger Bolsonaro has said in interviews he is "more moderate" than his father, who he has nevertheless said will remain "my compass, my point of reference."
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he → say → reference
Policies where both Bolsonaros are similar include relaxed gun control laws and skepticism of human-caused climate change.
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Bolsonaros → include → change
Trump has not endorsed the senator, but has said he is watching the election "very closely."
What happens next?
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Brazil finds itself politically divided, and campaigning has been bitter, with online operations from both sides seizing on every gaffe, accusation and rumor, quickly producing slick videos or AI-generated images for social media.
In September, it was revealed Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion tied to the financing of a biopic about his father.
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Bolsonaro → find → father
He has denied any misconduct.
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He → deny → misconduct
The latest polling for the first round of voting shows Lula at 46% and Bolsonaro at 45%, according to the Brazilian data intelligence and public opinion research firm Quaest cited by Reuters news agency.
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polling → show → agency
In the case of a run-off, the Quaest poll shows Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 44%.
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poll → show → %
In 2022, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by only 1.8 percentage points.
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Lula → beat → points
Along with voting for president, Brazil's 160 million registered voters are also choosing other lawmakers, governors, and some senators.
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voters → vote → lawmakers
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you → rely → news
The Aporia
