Brazilians have cast their ballots to decide whether Bolsonaro or Lula gets another chance

Brazilians voted in general elections marked by a polarising race between conservative President Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who some pollsters say could attain an outright victory.

Polling stations closed at 5pm on Sunday, 2 October. With just 5% of the votes counted, Bolsonaro was leading Lula, as his rival is known, by 49% to 42%, according to official data from Brazil’s electoral court. But the counting was most advanced in states that lean in favour of the president and Lula is expected to make up ground. The almost 160 million voters also chose state governors, lower house representatives and senators. 

The election took place in a calm way, according to Judge Alexandre de Moraes, a member of Brazil’s Supreme Court and the head of the country’s electoral authority. “There has been nothing out of the ordinary,” he told journalists before voting ended.

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Moraes said voting abroad increased by more than 50% in comparison with the 2018 election, with almost 700,000 Brazilians registered to vote in other countries. He added that abstention is likely to stay near the same level observed in the previous elections. 

Although nine other contestants are running for the country’s top job, the election has become the ultimate battle between two polar opposites of Brazilian politics: Bolsonaro, a former army captain who won by a landslide in 2018 but saw his popularity plunge in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic; and Lula, who ended two presidential terms with an approval rating of nearly 90% before having his reputation tarnished by a major corruption scandal.

They both held rallies in the past couple of days, after going on the attack during a presidential debate that political analysts saw as having little impact on voting intention. 

Lula is currently in São Paulo, where he cast his vote. Bolsonaro voted in Rio de Janeiro before heading to Brasilia to wait for the results.

“With clean elections, no problem, may the best win,” Bolsonaro told journalists before voting. Asked if he would recognise the election result, the incumbent didn’t answer.

Lula recalled he couldn’t vote in the last election because he was in prison, accused of corruption.

“Four years later, I am voting here with recognition of my total freedom and with the possibility of being president of this country again,” he told reporters.

Long lines of voters were seen in many Brazilian cities throughout Sunday. In Rio, the streets were quiet with most shops and restaurants closed, but voting stations were buzzing. 

Brazilians snapped selfies with friends and family after casting their ballots, and passers-by shouted the front-runners names, “Lula” or “Bolsonaro”, to whip up crowds.

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva makes a statement after voting at a polling centre in São Paulo, Brazil, 2 October 2022. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Sebastiao Moreira)

Brazilian President and candidate for re-election Jair Bolsonaro reacts after making his mark at a polling centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2 October 2022. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Andres Coelho / Pool)

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