Brazilians begin voting in tight election between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro

Brazilians began voting Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, ideological opposites who are each seen as having a shot at an outright victory. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America's economic powerhouse. Ten other candidates are expected to garner much smaller numbers of votes on Sunday. Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of US President Donald Trump. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil's ties with Beijing. Read moreFlavio Bolsonaro: In the name of the father, sons, and holy ideology Trump allies have found support in recent years in some Latin American countries, including Argentina, Colombia and Peru. Almost 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in this tense political showdown. Where Bolsonaro has leaned into his ideological alliance with Trump, Lula has criticized Washington. The incumbent president has often spoken about risks of US intervention in t...