Brazilians have begun voting in Sunday’s polarized presidential runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a contest that will determine whether the United States will significantly expand its growing influence in Latin America. Polls ahead of the vote showed the two candidates, who need more than 50 percent of the vote to become Brazil’s next leader in January, in a very close race. The election pits veteran center-left politician Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro beat Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month. However, more than 33 million voters out of almost 160 million did not go to the polls despite voting being mandatory. The difference between the two candidates is marked. Bolsonaro and Lula have opposing ideological views on issues ranging from US-Brazil relations and climate change to social welfare. A victory for Bolsonaro would mean a shift to the right by Latin America’s most populous country and its largest economy, in a year in which Trump’s allies have achieved victories in Chile, Peru and Colombia. A victory for Lula would leave Brazil and Mexico, the second most populous country in the region and led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, with center-left leaders. In many ways, Brazil’s second round resembles a rematch between the country’s two polarized countries. political forces that unleash both passion and hatred. Four years ago, Lula defeated Bolsonaro’s father by the narrowest margin since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. Polls suggest this election will be even closer. Security and cost of living concerns Lula, who first governed the country from 2003 to 2010, has faced a tough re-election battle due to concerns about the cost of living and security. Bolsonaro made getting tough on crime the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to reduce food costs. Both have been hit by corruption suspicions involving family members and allies, with Bolsonaro implicated in a sprawling scandal rocking Brazil. Lula spent more than a year in prison for corruption convictions that were eventually overturned. Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. Bolsonaro’s admission that he accepted about $12 million from disgraced former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film about his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign. He is being investigated for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the case. As Bolsonaro voted at a Rio de Janeiro school around 8 a.m., his supporters shouted “Lula, thief, your place is in prison” as Lula supporters chanted in his support. “The time has come for real change,” Bolsonaro told reporters. “Brazil cannot continue on its current trajectory for another four years.” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection, and his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, display a Brazilian flag during the presidential runoff in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. AP Photo/Andre Penner Fabianne Borges Santoro, a 45-year-old physical therapist from Rio de Janeiro, once voted for Lula’s party but now associates it with corruption. “It’s been a long time and the voice of the people says we need changes to see improvements in security and the cost of living,” he said. In the run-up to the vote, Lula frequently described Bolsonaro, whose father is under house arrest for attempting a coup, as a threat to democracy. Bolsonaro has vowed to seek an amnesty for his father if elected. Story continues below ad The next president will appoint at least three Supreme Court justices out of 11 in his next term due to upcoming retirements Bolsonaro has long targeted the country’s highest court, rocked by a corruption scandal, and promised to push for judicial reform. More on politics More videos Opposition presidential candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro votes in the presidential runoff in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, October 25, 2026. AP Photo/Silvia Izuierdo Lula, trying to attract undecided voters, has invested in expensive incentives since he lost the first round of voting The measures. His government’s latest moves have been backing a debt relief program for small businesses and promising free public transportation on weekends. A victory for the incumbent came with the Senate’s approval of the end of the six-day work week, a popular proposal backed by the government. He thanked his voters for the outpouring of support he received in recent days while voting in the city of Sao Bernardo do Campo, where he began his political career as a union leader in the 1960s. “It’s a lot of generosity, a lot of care, a lot of care. love. I will be eternally grateful,” Lula said. “Lula is a man of the people and knows what it is to be poor,” said Luzia da Souza, who runs a bar in a middle-class neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. “I find it impossible not to vote for him.” The Trump administration has risen to prominence. Lula has criticized the U.S. president before Brazil’s elections, speaking of the risks of U.S. intervention in the Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against exports. Brazilian companies, sanctioned a Supreme Court judge who presided over the investigation that ended up resulting in the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro and classified drug trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which experts say may have been aimed at making Lula appear soft on crime. 21 million tons, only surpassed by China. He denies that the US government will help him. Voting in Brazil is carried out electronically and the result is usually available a few hours after the polling stations close at five in the afternoon in Brasilia – Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.