Brazilian voters began deciding Sunday whether President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would remain in office or be replaced by Flavio Bolsonaro, after the first round and final poll both pointed to a close race.
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) said Flavio received 47.03% of valid ballots in the Oct. 4 first round, while Lula received 45.16%. Nearly 160 million people are eligible to vote in the runoff.
The final Datafolha poll, reported by Folha, put Flavio at 51% and Lula at 49% among valid-vote preferences. The two-point difference was within the poll's margin of error. EconoTimes' earlier coverage of the poll reported the same figures.
Both candidates cast ballots Sunday, according to Deutsche Welle (DW). After voting, Lula cited an incident in Montes Claros, where a brick was thrown at a supporter of his Workers' Party, as he spoke about political violence. Flavio urged voters to participate despite the rain and argued that conditions in Brazil had deteriorated under Lula, citing the economy and public safety, DW reported.
DW also reported that Flavio has pledged to secure his imprisoned father Jair Bolsonaro's release and bring him into the government if elected. Jair Bolsonaro is imprisoned over efforts to overturn the previous election.
DW's live coverage said the first count was expected within an hour of polls closing Sunday.
