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Voters in Brazil head to the polls Sunday for a toss-up contest between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro.
The outcome will determine whether Latin America's biggest nation joins a regional shift to the right championed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Across the country, from Amazon rainforest villages to southern farmlands and crowded urban favelas, voters confront a familiar cast, and many must choose the candidate they dislike least.
Lula, 80, seeks a fourth and final term as the veteran leftist and warns voters that U.S. pressure under Trump threatens Brazil's sovereignty.
Right-wing Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, mounts a tough challenge.
His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving 27 years over a coup attempt following his defeat in the 2022 election.
Opinion polls show neither man is likely to top the 50% needed to win outright Sunday, setting up a tight runoff Oct. 25.
Lula holds an edge in the poor northeast and among low-income voters, Catholics and women. Bolsonaro leads in the south and among wealthier Brazilians and evangelicals.
Rejection rates run extremely high for both men in a sharply divided country, and a bitter campaign delivered more scandal and mudslinging than policy proposals.
Lula has slammed Bolsonaro as a "nobody" who is "not even fit to be a building manager." Bolsonaro, who portrays himself as more "moderate" than his firebrand father, said Lula was "incompetent," declaring: "Brazil can't stand you anymore."
Turnout and last-minute decisions are expected to prove decisive.
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