Sawt Falasteen - Brazil votes in white-knuckle Bolsonaro-Lula showdown

Both candidates cast their ballots in the morning, expressing confidence in victory in the runoff election, after a dirty and divisive campaign that has deeply polarized the nation of 215 million people.

Some Brazilians voted with gusto, while others merely picked the candidate they least disliked.

"I think this has been the best government Brazil has ever had," said Afro-Brazilian lawyer Eliane de Oliveira, 61, who voted for Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana neighborhood, saying he was happy to have a government "that is not corrupt", in a dig at the graft-tainted Lula.

Standing nearby, physical education teacher Gustavo Souza voted for Lula, who he hoped would "improve the lives of many people."

Like many he is nervous about the outcome, reflecting fears that Bolsonaro would not accept the result after months of attacking the electoral system.

"I admit I am a little scared about the result today. People have become so radical. They will need some maturity... or it will turn into the third or fourth world war," he said, laughing nervously.

- 'Brazil will be victorious'-

Lula, 77, narrowly won the first-round election on October 2, and enters the finale the slight favorite with 52 percent of voter support, according to a final poll from the Datafolha institute Saturday.

However, Bolsonaro, 67, who scored 48 percent in the poll, performed better than expected last time around, and the result this time is anyone's guess.

The president cast his ballot wearing a T-shirt in the yellow-and-green of the Brazilian flag -- a symbol he has adopted as his own.

"God willing, we'll be victorious later today. Or even better, Brazil will be victorious," said the ex-army captain, grinning as he greeted supporters in Rio de Janeiro's Vila Militar neighborhood.

Lula voted in Sao Bernardo do Campo, the southeastern city where he got his start as a union leader, saying he was "confident in the victory of democracy," and that he would seek to "restore peace" in a divided nation if elected.

- Democracy, Amazon -

The electoral showdown caps months of mud-slinging and personal attacks, in a campaign plagued by disinformation.

Lula's camp has called Bolsonaro a "cannibal," "pedophile" and "little dictator." In turn, the ex-president has repeatedly been derided as a "thief" and accused of making a pact with Satan.

Waiting at his polling station in Sao Paulo, psychologist Marcelo Silveira Curi, 35, said he disliked both candidates but was reluctantly voting for Lula.

"He's not ideal, but he's the option if you oppose this government," he told AFP, criticizing "lots of economic and social reversals" under Bolsonaro.

The election has global ramifications: Conservationists believe the result could seal the fate of the stricken Amazon rainforest, pushed to the brink by fires and deforestation that have surged under Bolsonaro.

However, for Brazilians, issues of poverty, hunger, corruption and traditional values are top of mind.

- Will Bolsonaro cry foul? -

One of the main questions hanging over the poll has been if Bolsonaro -- often dubbed the "Tropical Trump" -- will accept a loss, after saying the very voting system that brought him to power was riddled with fraud.

On Friday night he pledged to respect the election, though possible accusations of rigging and a backlash from his supporters loom large.

Bolsonaro came under fire for his disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which left more than 680,000 dead in Brazil, as well as his vitriolic style and disdain for political correctness.

However, in recent months, falling unemployment figures, slowing inflation and a recovering economy have given him a boost.

His core supporters -- the business sector, anti-corruption voters and the powerful "Bibles, bullets and beef" coalition -- love his gloves-off style and focus on conservative values.

- Comeback kid -

Lula was the country's most popular president when he left office, helping to lift millions out of poverty with his social welfare programs.

If he wins, he faces a hostile Congress dominated by Bolsonaro lawmakers and allies.

Brazil's 156 million voters will cast their ballots until 5:00 pm (2000 GMT). The result of the electronic vote is expected in a matter of hours.

T.Ibrahim--SF-PST