Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and a member of the Bolsonaro family are the top contenders.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of plotting a coup, is banned from politics. His son Flávio has taken up Brazil’s far-right mantle while insisting he is more moderate. FP’s Catherine Osborn, based in Rio de Janeiro, attended one of his rallies. At least on foreign policy, she writes, Flávio promises radical shifts—aiming to “step up the U.S.-Brazil relationship” and ditch the multilateral stance that has defined Lula’s presidency.
Lula is pulling out all the stops to avert a far-right takeover. For the first time in seven presidential runs, he has embraced defense spending, framing it as an instrument of sovereignty amid heightened U.S. aggression in Latin America. All the same, Flávio has recently risen in the polls, thanks in part to support from women. If no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote on Sunday, the top two will head to a runoff on Oct. 25.
The articles below provide essential background and context on Brazil’s high-stakes vote. But much could still change before a likely runoff. As Adam Goldsmith writes, a sprawling banking corruption scandal that “is growing toward the size of Operation Car Wash” could yet engulf both presidential campaigns.—Allison Meakem
How Flávio Bolsonaro Sees the World
Lula Bets Big on Defense Ahead of Election
The Woman Remaking Brazil’s Far Right
Brazil’s Election Won’t Fix Its Biggest Problems