President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, as the two leading candidates in a field of 12. A runoff will follow on 25 October if no candidate wins a majority
Lula has pursued strategic autonomy, maintaining relations with Europe and China while strengthening Brazil’s role in BRICS and the Global South
Bolsonaro represents a different direction, with his campaign associated with closer political alignment with Donald Trump’s United States and the wider conservative movement
For Europe, the election could shape relations with Latin America’s largest economy, including cooperation on trade, climate and the EU-Mercosur partnership, as Brazil navigates competition between Washington and Beijing
Sources: Brazilian Electoral Court (TSE), Reuters, POLITICO Europe
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