Brazil Votes as Lula and Bolsonaro's Son Neck and Neck, US Interference Fears Loom

Brazil Votes as Lula and Bolsonaro's Son Neck and Neck, US Interference Fears Loom

Brazil's presidential election is too close to call as President Lula faces Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, amid concerns over US interference.

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Brazil votes on Sunday in a general election that is too close to call, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, locked in a dead heat with Flávio Bolsonaro [254422][254471]. Flávio is the son of Jair Bolsonaro, the jailed former president who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup to "annihilate" democracy after losing the last election [254422].

Brazil is Latin America's largest democracy, but it lived under a military dictatorship in the recent past [254422]. Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator, wants to free his father and those who rioted in his support in 2023 [254422]. He has campaigned as a less crude version of his father, but he is no less extreme [254422].

The Supreme Federal Court is in its worst institutional crisis since the return to democracy, and the right's candidate is formally under investigation in the same case [251658]. The two leading contenders are tied within the margin of error in every poll [251658].

The election has drawn fears of US interference [254471]. Critics say Washington is backing Trump-aligned candidates across Latin America — a pattern now called "the orange wave" [254471].

For many voters on both sides, this is a vote against a man they hate more than a vote for their own candidate [254422]. Most voters disapprove of both men [254422].

Sources

Brazil's election too close to call: Lula faces Bolsonaro's son #254422Brazil votes as top court faces crisis and candidates tied #251658Trump's Shadow Over Brazil: US Interference Allegations Cloud Presidential Vote #254471

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