"Lula is destroying us": Brazil votes in fateful elections - and Israel is also in focus

Brazil voted in the first round of presidential elections, with polls predicting a tight race between President Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro. Neither candidate is expected to reach 50%, advancing to a second round on October 25. Bolsonaro's son promises to move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and free his imprisoned father.

Brazil voted this evening (Sunday) in the first round of presidential elections, considered particularly fateful. Polls predict a tight race between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (80) and right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro (45), son of the imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. Alongside them, 11 other candidates are running, but it is estimated that none will achieve the required 50% in the first round, and the two will advance to a decisive second round on October 25, where polls predict a statistical tie. At the center of the election campaign are the faltering economy, the cost of living, the fight against crime organizations, and the sharp confrontation between Lula and US President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro's son promises to restore relations with Israel and move the embassy to Jerusalem, while Lula has hardened his stance toward it. The elections are seen as determining not only Brazil's future but also potentially bringing down leftist rule in one of its last strongholds in Latin America, against the backdrop of a conservative wave sweeping the continent. The gap in polls has narrowed in recent weeks following the massive fraud scandal at "Banco Master," which implicated senior officials including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, an ally of Lula.