Brazil votes in tight runoff between Lula and Bolsonaro Jr

thestar.com.my —

Brazilians vote Sunday in a tight runoff between leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a result that could shift Latin America's largest nation sharply rightward and closer to the United States. Bolsonaro, son of convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro, led the first round with 47% to Lula's 45%, and polls show the candidates practically tied. A Bolsonaro win would extend a regional conservative wave friendly to US President Donald Trump, while Lula's campaign has been hampered by high living costs and gang violence. The race is dominated by corruption scandals and fallout from Jair Bolsonaro's 2025 coup conviction, which his son pledges to overturn. Trump, who imposed tariffs on Brazil linked to that trial, has called the case a "witch hunt," while Lula frames US proximity to the Bolsonaro clan as election meddling.


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