Brazil picks its path: What’s at stake in the election

Accusations of foul play are flying as Lula takes on Bolsonaro in a battle with global consequences for Latin America and the BRICS group Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is once again fighting for his political future, in a runoff election against Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro. After a dirty campaign, voters will decide on Sunday whether Brazil maintains its leftward trajectory or lurches to the right. Bolsonaro defeated Lula in the first round of this year’s presidential election, beating the incumbent left-winger by 47. 03% to 45. 16% on October 5. With neither candidate winning an outright majority, ten runners-up were eliminated and a runoff called for October 25. Who are the candidates?

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 11, 2026 © Getty Images; Isabella Finholdt Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, more commonly referred to as ‘Lula’, has been a mainstay in Brazilian politics since the 1980s. After serving two terms as president from 2003 to 2011, he was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 for alleged involvement in a corruption and money laundering scheme within the state-run oil company Petrobras. Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court struck down his conviction in 2021, and Lula returned to politics the following year, defeating Jair Bolsonaro by a margin of just 0. 11%. In power, Lula has increased government spending to tackle poverty, handed subsidies to industry, and hiked taxes on the wealthy. Meanwhile, his government has deepened trade and diplomatic ties with Russia, China, and the rest of the BRICS group, while criticizing US intervention in Latin America. “Brazil,” he said in a speech at the UN General Assembly last month, “does not fit into…