Brazil holds presidential election today, with Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro vying for the top job

Brazil is holding its presidential election today, Sunday, with the main contest between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Opinion polls show both candidates roughly level.

If no candidate wins more than half the votes, a second round of voting will be held between the top two candidates on October 25.

Lula, who is seen as left-leaning, is running for a fourth term. Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, and is considered close to US President Donald Trump.

Flávio Bolsonaro has prioritised privatisation, spending cuts and close ties with the United States. His view is that a good agreement should be reached with the Trump administration in areas such as rare earth minerals. Conservative leaders have recently come to power in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Peru in Latin America.

Lula, meanwhile, has placed Brazil's sovereignty at the centre of his campaign. He has promised to reduce the six-day work week, cut income tax for low-income citizens and carry out police reform. After the United States imposed high tariffs on Brazilian exports, Lula has been warning about the risk of US interference.

According to media reports, about 159 million voters will also elect state governors and members of the federal congress and senate along with the president. According to analyst Thomas Traumann, due to sharp polarisation, this election has focused more on accusations and counter-accusations than on policy debate.