Brazil's Lula-Bolsonaro runoff tests US influence in Latin America

Brazilians will vote Sunday in a divisive presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a race that will determine if the U.S. significantly expands its growing influence in Latin America. Pre-election polls show the two candidates in a tight contest, with over 50% of votes needed to win. The election pits center-left veteran Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro led Lula by over 2.2 million votes in the first round, with more than 33 million abstaining. A Bolsonaro win would shift the region's largest nation rightward, while a Lula victory would leave Brazil and Mexico with center-left leaders. The campaign has been marked by stark ideological differences on issues from U.S. relations to climate change. Lula has faced challenges over cost-of-living and security concerns, while Bolsonaro has made a tough-on-crime approach central and faces a corruption investigation. The next president will appoint at least three Supreme Court justices, and Lula has criticized U.S. intervention in Brazilian elections.