Brazil votes in tense presidential runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro

Key points

• Brazilians voted on Sunday in a presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, with polls showing a neck-and-neck race.
• Flávio Bolsonaro led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round, but more than 33 million of nearly 160 million voters did not turn out.
• At least 75 public buses were prevented from leaving garages in Bahia during the vote, and an electoral judge ordered the arrest of Salvador's mobility secretary.

Brazilians voted on Sunday in a polarizing presidential runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. The winner needs more than 50% of the vote to lead Brazil from January, and polls showed the two candidates in a neck-and-neck race.

The contest pits the left-of-center Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump and the son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. A Bolsonaro win would mark a rightward shift for Latin America's most populous country and largest economy, while a Lula victory would leave Brazil and Mexico with left-of-center leaders.

First round and turnout

Flávio Bolsonaro beat Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier this month. However, more than 33 million voters out of nearly 160 million did not turn out, and third-party voters and abstentions could decide the runoff.

The time of real change has arrived.

— Flávio Bolsonaro

Campaign issues and voting problems

Lula, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, has faced a tough reelection battle over cost of living and security. Bolsonaro made tough-on-crime policies central to his campaign and pledged to lower food costs. Both have faced corruption suspicions involving family members and allies; Bolsonaro is under investigation over about $12 million he admitted accepting from former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film about his father's life.

In Bahia state, at least 75 public buses were prevented from leaving municipal garages during the vote, according to a state electoral judge, who ordered the arrest of Salvador mobility secretary Pablo Souza. Mayor Bruno Reis, a Bolsonaro ally, blamed trade unionists. Lula said: "We will not be robbed by mayors, governors or businessmen." Observers said voting was otherwise peaceful and transparent.