Brazil's polls closed today amid a razor‑thin race between former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right‑winger Flávio Bolsonaro, with 158 million voters lining up at polling stations across the country.
Lula, now 80, warned that the choice was \'between democracy and barbarism\' after casting his ballot, while Bolsonaro, 45, declared he wanted to \'free the Brazilian people\'.
Analysts say a win for the left‑winger would halt a wave of right‑wing victories in Latin America that aligns closely with the United States, whereas a Bolsonaro victory would extend that trend.
The electoral court (TSE) has not set a fixed release time, but electronic voting means official results are expected within a few hours; if no candidate reaches 50 % the contest will go to a run‑off on 25 October.
Online tallies from overseas voters are already in: Lula took Brazil's 56.6 % of the vote in China, while Bolsonaro led with 74.4 % in Israel.
Results will also decide the Senate, with 54 of 81 seats up for election; the current majority belongs to Bolsonaro's Liberal Party.
Previously, four years ago Lula narrowly unseated Jair Bolsonaro, who has since been convicted for attempting a coup and is under house arrest.
