Polls close in Brazil as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro remain neck and neck
Polls have closed in Brazil's general election, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a very close first round. Voters cast ballots in a race described as a choice between democracy and "barbarism" by Lula, and a desire to "free the Brazilian people" by Bolsonaro.

Briefing Summary
AI-generatedPolls have closed in Brazil's general election, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a very close first round. Voters cast ballots in a race described as a choice between democracy and "barbarism" by Lula, and a desire to "free the Brazilian people" by Bolsonaro. The election is expected to be tight, with poll aggregators showing a narrow two-point gap between the two leading candidates. If neither candidate secures over 50% of the vote, a run-off election will be held on October 25th. Over 158.7 million Brazilians were eligible to vote. Official results are anticipated within hours due to the electronic voting system.
Article analysis
Model · rule-basedKey claims
5 extractedIf no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the election will go to a run-off on 25 October.
Challenger Flávio Bolsonaro said he wanted to 'free the Brazilian people'.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that the choice was between democracy and 'barbarism'.
Polls have closed in Brazil's general election after a tight first round of the presidential race.
BBC Brazil's poll aggregator shows the gap between Lula and Bolsonaro is only two points.