More Lula, or back to the Bolsonaros? Brazil votes in cliffhanger

A supporter of Brazil's right-wing Senator and presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro poses for pictures. [Douglas Shindeidr, AFP]

Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday facing a stark choice: another four years under veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or a return to the right under Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

It is the final electoral battle for Lula, who turns 81 next week and is hoping to pull off a dramatic turnaround after a shock second-place finish in the first round to the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Final polls showed the two candidates neck-and-neck.

Sunday's runoff will determine whether Brazil remains one of Latin America's few leftist nations or joins a regional swing to the right championed by US President Donald Trump, who has not openly endorsed the son of his ally.

Lula, who is seeking a fourth term in office overall, has pitched himself as a bulwark against US interference and democratic backsliding and promised to expand social protections.

Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has vowed to crack down on crime and slash government spending, while handing Brazil to "the Lord Jesus Christ," with a message of change that won over Brazilians looking for something new.

"Enough is enough. We've had 16 years of this administration, and it's clear it didn't work. It's time for a change," said Joao Paulo, 37, at a rally in Belo Horizonte, referring roughly to the total period Lula's Workers' Party (PT) has governed Brazil.

Flavio Bolsonaro has pitched himself as more moderate than his firebrand father, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup bid after his 2022 election loss.

He has vowed that if elected, his first act will be to free Jair Bolsonaro, a deeply divisive figure in Brazil whose legacy loomed large over the campaign of his eldest son.

After the first-round defeat, the left swung into action with massive rallies declaring "Never Again Bolsonaro," where protesters recalled the former president's chaotic handling of the Covid pandemic, devastation of the Amazon rainforest, and cuts to public programs.