Brazil election: Lula, Bolsonaro cast votes in final bout

Almost 160 million are eligible to vote in the final round of Brazil's election that pits the left-wing incumbent against the son of the former far-right president.

Brazilians are voting in the final round of the presidential election. Left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is facing off against Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro. Polls showed the two as neck-and-neck after Bolsonaro beat Lula by 2.2 million votes in the first round. The 33 million voters who didn't vote in the first round could decide the result if they can be mobilized.

Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has urged voters to turn out "rain or shine" to change the country's direction, accusing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of leaving Brazilians fearful. "Brazil will change. Brazil will win," said the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, arguing that conditions had worsened over the past four years. The opposition candidate criticized Lula's record on security and the economy, saying voters should not persist with a "mistake." Bolsonaro cast his ballot at a school in Rio de Janeiro's Vila Isabel neighborhood around 20 minutes after polls opened. Wearing a yellow shirt, he arrived in the rain with his wife, Fernanda, amid heavy security.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says voters are choosing between a candidate who defends Brazil's flag and one who prefers the US flag, referring to his right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. The right "wants to govern with the American flag," the leftist incumbent said after casting his ballot in Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo. Lula, who is seeking a fourth, nonconsecutive term, also said Brazilians had taken to the streets to defend their gains. "What I saw in this runoff was not about a political party or a trade union. People took to the streets to defend their gains," he told reporters. He also warned about political violence, citing a brick thrown at a supporter of his leftist Workers' Party (PT) in Montes Claros. "It shows what is at stake," he said.

Thank you for joining us today as we bring you the latest from the final round of Brazil's presidential election. Polls opened at 8 a.m. this morning (1100 GMT) and are set to close at 5 p.m. (2000 GMT), based on time in the capital Brasilia. The first results are expected 30-60 minutes after polls close. President Lula, 80, is hoping to turn around his defeat in the first round to Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro who is currently imprisoned for trying to overturn the previous election. Flavio has said he would free his father if he wins and give him a role in his cabinet.