Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Lula leads opinion polls as Brazil votes in presidential contest

No Image
minus
plus

BRASILIA: Brazilians cast their votes on Sunday in the first round of their country's most polarised election in decades, with leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expected to beat right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.


Most opinion polls have shown Lula with a solid lead for months, but Bolsonaro has signalled he may refuse to accept defeat, stoking fears of institutional crisis or post-election violence. A message projected on Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue ahead of the vote read: "Peace in the Elections."


Most surveys favour Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, by 10-15 percentage points. If he wins more than 50 per cent of valid votes, which several pollsters show within reach, that would clinch an outright victory, foregoing a second-round vote.


Decked out in Lula stickers, Adriana Schneider was voting at a primary school in Rio de Janeiro. The university professor, 48, said Bolsonaro's administration had been "catastrophic" for investment in culture, arts, science and education.


"We're living under a barbaric government," she said.


Lula was jailed during the last election, serving a conviction for graft that was later overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to face his fierce rival Bolsonaro this year.


Voting in São Bernardo do Campo, Lula acknowledged the dramatic turnaround in his fortunes after a conviction that he says was politically motivated.


"It's an important day for me," he said. "Four years ago I couldn't vote because I was the victim of a lie ... I want to try to help my country to return to normal."


Bolsonaro voted in Rio, and said he expected to win the election in Sunday's first round, despite his poor showing in surveys. The former army captain does not trust the pollsters, saying their results do not correspond with the support he sees at his campaign events.


"If we have clean elections, we will win today with at least 60 per cent of the votes," Bolsonaro said in a video posted on his social media before voting. "All the evidence we have is favourable to us. The other side has not been able to take to the streets, has not campaigned, has no acceptance, no credibility."


A winner could be announced within hours after polling stations close at 5 pm Brasilia time. If no candidate wins more than half of the votes, excluding blank and spoiled ballots, the top two finishers go to an October 30 run-off, prolonging the tense campaign season.


Bolsonaro has threatened to contest the result of the vote, after making baseless allegations of fraud, accusing electoral authorities of plotting against him and suggesting the military should conduct a parallel tally, which they declined to do. -- Reuters


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon