Brazil faces tense Lula vs. Bolsonaro runoff with US influence over Latin America at stake

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilians will choose between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's polarizing presidential election, a contest that will determine whether the U.S. will significantly expand its growing influence in Latin America. Polls before Sunday’s vote showed the two candidates, who need more than 50 percent of the vote to become Brazil’s next leader in January, in a neck-and-neck race. The election pits the left-of-center veteran politician Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and the son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro bested Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month. More than 33 million voters out of nearly 160 million abstained then. The difference between the two candidates is stark. Bolsonaro and Lula have opposing ideological views on issues ranging from U.S.-Brazil relations and climate change to social welfare. A win for Bolsonaro would signify a pivot to the right by Latin America's most populous country and its larg