Brazil heads to the polls for high-stakes election between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro

Brazilians began casting their votes on Sunday in a closely watched presidential election. The election pits incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. According to Agencia Brasil, nearly 158.7 million voters are eligible to vote.

The election will determine whether Latin America's biggest nation follows a regional trend, with Lula seeking a fourth non-consecutive term and Flavio Bolsonaro seeking to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father. Lula has campaigned on continuing his left-leaning Workers' Party platform, while Flavio Bolsonaro has campaigned on hardline security policies and tax cuts, DW News reported.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time, and cell phones remain prohibited in the voting booth. If a runoff is required for the presidential and gubernatorial races, it will be held on October 25, as per Agencia Brasil. The election outcome may impact Brazil's ties with other countries, including the US and China, Live Mint noted.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, DW News, Agencia Brasil, Live Mint — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.