Polls open in polarisied Brazil presidential election run-off | News

Polls open in Brazil – the second round of a tightly contested election between incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Polls have opened in Brazil’s most polarised presidential elections to date, with left-wing former president Luiz Incio Lula da Silva aiming to defeat right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the run-off vote.

Polling stations opened at 8am (11:00 GMT) and will close at 5pm. The result is expected at about 2am local time on Monday.

Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, won the first round on October 2, but by a much smaller margin than expected by pollsters. Sunday’s race is considered open.

The mood in Latin America’s largest country of more than 210 million people is very heated after an extremely hard-fought election campaign.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly cast doubt on the electoral system and hinted that he might not recognise the result if he loses.

The election is also receiving a lot of international attention. As a huge carbon reservoir, the Amazon rainforest plays an important role in the fight against global climate change.

In addition, Brazil has enormous natural resources and a large agricultural economy, making it an important player in international trade.