Brazil's Runoff Election Pits Lula Against Bolsonaro

Brazilians voted Sunday in a runoff election between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a race that will determine whether the U.S. expands its influence in Latin America. Polls showed the candidates neck-and-neck, with the winner needing over 50% of the vote to take office in January. Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, beat Lula by 2.2 million votes in the first round. The starkly opposed candidates differ on U.S. relations, climate change, and social welfare, with a Bolsonaro win signaling a rightward shift in the region's largest economy. Security and cost-of-living concerns dominate, with both candidates facing corruption allegations. Bolsonaro is under investigation for accepting $12 million from a disgraced banker, while Lula's prior convictions were annulled. The next president will name at least three Supreme Court justices, and Bolsonaro has promised amnesty for his father, who is under house arrest for coup attempts.