Brazil's Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro nearly tied ahead of runoff vote

Brazil's presidential election on Sunday pits incumbent leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff, with polls showing them nearly tied after a tense campaign. Bolsonaro led the first round on October 4 with 47% of votes against Lula's 45%, and his camp made unprecedented congressional gains. Lula has since benefited from massive supporter mobilization and took last-minute measures to seek a fourth term. The election is seen as the year's most important vote alongside US midterms, with outcomes affecting South America. Lula represents social progress and environmental protection, while Bolsonaro backs repressive security policies and alignment with the Trump administration.