RIO DE JANEIRO, October 25. /TASS/. The second, decisive round of the general election will take place in Brazil. Voters will decide who will serve as head of state for the next four years: incumbent President and Workers’ Party leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva or the candidate from the right-wing opposition, senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Voting in Brazil will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time (11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. GMT). More than 158.7 million Brazilian citizens are eligible to vote. Voting is mandatory for all literate Brazilians between the ages of 18 and 69.

Incumbent President Lula da Silva is seeking re-election for what would be the final term of his political career. He is building his campaign around strengthening Brazil’s international standing and expanding export opportunities, particularly with countries in the Global South and the BRICS. His domestic policy agenda includes tax reform, government funding for defense and technology initiatives, and actively developing hydrocarbon reserves.

Meanwhile, Flavio Bolsonaro is focusing his campaign on strongly condemning the government’s policies and drawing public attention to the excessive tax burden and rampant street crime. The right-wing opposition candidate has rallied the conservative electorate and powerful agricultural interests behind him. In foreign policy, he favors the US market and aims to restore bilateral relations to the level seen during the administrations of Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump.

The October 4 vote showed an advantage for conservative forces and fell short of the incumbent president’s expectations, falling short of the incumbent president’s expectations of a first-round victory. According to the results, Flavio Bolsonaro took the lead with 47.03% of the vote. Lula da Silva is in second place with 45.16%. The margin between the candidates was less than two percentage points. Given an electorate of 150 million, this is equal to nearly two to three million votes.

On the eve of the second round, the son of the former Brazilian leader is considered the frontrunner. Flavio Bolsonaro managed to seize the political initiative by successfully mobilizing voters in economically developed regions and the agricultural business sector.

Lula da Silva’s campaign shifted to a defensive strategy between the rounds, finding itself playing catch-up. The government passed emergency social measures, including debt relief for four million self-employed individuals and an unexpected increase in benefits for the poor.