Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is currently leading the presidential race in Brazil against Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round of voting. Polls are scheduled to close at 17:00 BRT, which corresponds to 21:00 BST.
Brazilian presidents are directly elected, and candidates must achieve more than 50% of the vote to prevent a second runoff election. Should no candidate secure over 50% of the valid votes cast in the initial round, a second runoff election will take place three weeks later between the two leading candidates.
Lula, who is 80 years old, currently stands as the leading candidate in the contest. The former leader served three terms between 2003 and 2011.
Flávio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old lawyer and former senator from Rio de Janeiro, is one of the key contenders. Jair Bolsonaro is reportedly serving a 27-year sentence for masterminding a failed coup.
Minas Gerais, a mountainous region for mining and agriculture, is larger than France and contains 21 million inhabitants. In 2018, Jair Bolsonaro beat Lula’s candidate in Minas Gerais by a margin exceeding 1.7 million votes.
Four years after that contest, Lula reclaimed Minas Gerais with fewer than 50,000 votes.
