Brazil votes in tense poll, surveys put Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in lead

Brasilia, October 2

Brazilians voted on Sunday in the first round of their country’s most polarised election in decades, with leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva favoured to beat right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

There were reports of long, snaking lines across Brazil as many turned out to vote in a tense election, punctuated by episodes of violence and fears over a sharp uptick in gun ownership under Bolsonaro. Military police in Sao Paulo said a man entered a voting station in the Cidade Dutra neighbourhood and fired at two police officers.

“The officers are conscious and receiving medical attention,” they wrote on Twitter.

Most opinion polls have shown Lula with a 10-15 percentage point lead, but Bolsonaro has signalled he might refuse to accept defeat, stoking fears of institutional crisis. If Lula wins over 50% of valid votes, which several pollsters show within reach, he would clinch an outright victory, foregoing a run-off.

Loved by his fans, Lula is also loathed by many Brazilians for his graft conviction. Bolsonaro often refers to him as “the inmate”. The leftist, who was president from 2003 to 2010, was jailed during the last election. — Reuters