Brazilians vote in polarised first-round presidential election between Lula and Bolsonaro's son

Brazilians cast their ballots on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election widely regarded as a critical juncture for Latin America's largest democracy. Lula, aged 80, has governed intermittently since 2003 and is attempting to secure an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term. His opponent is Flávio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator representing Rio de Janeiro and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup following his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2022.

The election carries considerable regional significance because Brazil remains one of the few major Latin American nations governed by the left amid a broader wave of right-wing electoral victories across the continent, including the recent takeover of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to The Guardian. Lula has positioned himself as a regional leader opposing Washington's influence and has publicly accused President Donald Trump of attempting to interfere in Brazil's election to benefit Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro, like his father, has frequently expressed admiration for Trump and committed Brazil to joining a United States-led coalition against drug cartels, which has conducted military operations and airstrikes across the region. The two candidates have alternated as frontrunners in recent polling, creating considerable uncertainty about the outcome as polls closed on Sunday evening.