Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro neck-and-neck as Brazilians head to polls

{"text":[[{"start":10.3,"text":"Brazilians vote for their next president on Sunday in a highly polarised contest with repercussions for Donald Trump’s aim of expanding US influence across Latin America."}],[{"start":20.700000000000003,"text":"Leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, is standing for a record fourth non-consecutive term at the helm of the region’s largest country and economy. His main challenger is 45-year-old Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of hard-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was jailed for plotting a coup following his defeat to Lula four years ago."}],[{"start":43.5,"text":"While the veteran politician has a narrow lead in many first-round polls, most scenarios place the two men neck-and-neck in a run-off, scheduled later this month if no one gains more than half of valid votes today."}],[{"start":56.85,"text":"Thiago Vidal, director at the political consultancy Prospectiva, said an initial ballot victory was possible but unlikely. The final result could be tighter than Brazil’s closest-ever race in 2022, he added: “It’s a very similar election in terms of polarisation.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":74.4,"text":"The process is being closely watched in Washington, where there is suspicion towards Lula’s leftwing worldview and his embrace of the Brics bloc of developing nations. "}],[{"start":85,"text":"Although Trump has not explicitly endorsed Bolsonaro, whose father is an ally of the Republican president, his government has piled pressure on Brasília with trade tariffs and diplomatic measures since last year. Lula has warned that the US could interfere to help his rival, a claim Washington has rejected. "}],[{"start":103,"text":"“If Flávio is elected, Brazil will fall into line. It would immensely strengthen the hand of the Trump administration in its ‘Donroe’ doctrine [goal] of reorganising the western hemisphere,” said Matias Spektor, professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "}],[{"start":120.55,"text":"South American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru have all elected rightwing or centre-right presidents in the past few years. "}],[{"start":132,"text":"Lula, a former trade unionist who was president from 2003 to 2011, pledges to expand welfare programmes, end Amazon deforestation and promote ties with other “middle powers” such as Canada and the EU, as well as the global south."}],[{"start":147.6,"text":"“What is at stake is not the victory of one man, but the victory of an idea, of democracy,” he said at a campaign event in Rio de Janeiro on Friday."}],[{"start":157.65,"text":"Bolsonaro has promised to reduce public spending, crack down on crime and more closely co-operate with the US against drug trafficking. He wants a congressional amnesty for those convicted last year over the coup plot, including his father. The elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest on health grounds after being found guilty of a conspiracy that involved plans to assassinate Lula."}],[{"start":183.25,"text":"The conservative heir has alleged judicial interference in the election process in favour of Lula and his Workers’ Party (PT). A broadcaster cancelled a television presidential debate this week following last-minute court rulings, including a ban on displaying an empty lectern bearing Lula’s name after he decided not to take part."}],[{"start":201.95,"text":"“We are going to put an end to this PT era, so that we never hear the name Lula again,” Bolsonaro told supporters at a rally in Minas Gerais state on Friday."}],[{"start":213.29999999999998,"text":"Prediction markets, which are prohibited in Brazil, give Bolsonaro a roughly 60 per cent chance of victory. Both leading candidates, however, have high rejection rates. "}],[{"start":224.2,"text":"Lauded for reducing poverty during his first stint in office, Lula was later jailed on graft convictions that were subsequently annulled. Many voters distrust his Workers’ Party because of bribery scandals and an economic crisis on its watch a decade ago."}],[{"start":241.25,"text":"Bolsonaro’s campaign has been marred by his dealings with a disgraced banker at the centre of a massive corruption scandal."}],[{"start":256.05,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1791128889_3500.mp3"}