Sawt Falasteen - Lula, Bolsonaro in virtual tie halfway through Brazil vote count

With a seesawing lead, Lula had 50.7 percent of votes and Bolsonaro 49.2, with around 65 percent of the country's electronic voting machines tallied, according to official results.

It is the final electoral battle for Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday and is hoping to pull off a dramatic turnaround after coming in second to the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro in the first round of voting.

After a campaign marred by scandal and mud-slinging, Sunday's vote plunged into chaos after a last-minute Supreme Court ruling extending voting by two hours, at the request of Lula who said buses had been pulled from circulation in various cities, barring citizens from voting.

"I've never complained about anything in any election before. Whether I won or lost, I'd just accept it and get ready for the next one. But this time, something abominable is happening," said Lula.

Flavio Bolsonaro also requested an extension in some parts of the country due to heavy rains, but his camp lashed out at the country-wide extension.

"It's a disgrace. We've never had anything like this in Brazil, and now they've come up with the idea of extending the election period by two hours. I think it's an attempt to even things out, but Flavio is going to win," said Aurelio Junior, 45, a dentist in Brasilia.

Jacqueline Maria Lima de Franca, 34, a business owner in Rio de Janeiro backing Lula said it was "more than fair...everyone should have the right to vote, and that was being neglected."

- 'We are watching' -

Sunday's runoff will determine whether Brazil remains one of Latin America's few leftist nations or joins a regional swing to the right championed by US President Donald Trump.

Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, has pitched himself as a bulwark against US interference and democratic backsliding.

Trump, an ally of Flavio Bolsonaro's father, simply said "we are watching, yeah," when asked about Brazil's election on Sunday.

The 45-year-old senator has vowed to crack down on crime and slash government spending, while handing Brazil to "the Lord Jesus Christ."

"The time has come for real change," he declared after voting in Rio de Janeiro.

"This is about renewal, enough of the same old thing," 67-year-old retiree Eduardo Viana told AFP, adding that Lula "says he governs for the poor...just look, people can't even go to the supermarket."

Bolsonaro presents himself as more moderate than his firebrand father, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after he lost in the 2022 elections.

After its first-round defeat, the left swung into action with massive rallies highlighting Jair Bolsonaro's chaotic handling of the Covid pandemic, devastation of the Amazon rainforest and cuts to public programs.

- Lula's revamp -

Lula, revered for social welfare programs that lifted millions out of poverty, made a dramatic comeback to office in 2022 elections after a corruption scandal saw him jailed for over 18 months.

The charges, annulled on procedural grounds, have continued to haunt him.

In his third term he has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment, and lifted millions out of hunger, but voters complain about the cost of living and a sense of insecurity.

After his first-round blow, Lula revamped his social media strategy and even bought his first cellphone.

A fierce social media battle drew in Meta, parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, which Lula's campaign accused of favoring his opponent with "algorithmic manipulation."

Meta denied this but acknowledged that some of Lula's campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.

F.AbuShamala--SF-PST