What to know as Brazilians choose between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil is on the cusp of granting leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a fourth presidential term or pivoting to the far right again by electing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is Brazil's 35th and 39th president, having served from 2003-2010 and again since 2023. Bolsonaro, 45, aims to return his family name to power while his father serves time for attempting a coup to prevent the end of his 2019-2022 presidency.

The younger Bolsonaro bested Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in this month's first round, but neither won an outright majority, setting up Sunday's runoff. Bolsonaro had 47% of the votes to Lula's 45%, and surveys show the race remains tight as voters return to the polls.

Here’s what to know about Brazil’s runoff vote.

Lula, who got his start as a union worker, losing a pinky finger in a factory accident at 19, inspired cult-like devotion during his first and second terms in office as Brazil's economy expanded with the help of a commodities boom and direct cash assistance that lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.

He later spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled before winning a third term in 2022.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama once called Lula “the world’s most popular politician,” but his approval ratings have fallen as low as 24% this term as voters raise concerns about crime and the cost of living. He's responded with promises to share the benefits from extracting Brazil's rare minerals and other resources and has increased payments through his flagship Bolsa Familia program by 15%.

Other steps Lula has taken to shore up support before the runoff include cutting fuel taxes, pardoning the government debts of 3.6 million small businesses, moving to block cellphone signals around prisons, and proposing to boost welfare payments to university students.

And with just days to go before this vote, Brazil’s Senate approved rules backed by Lula's administration to reduce the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours while enshrining two rest days without a salary cut.

Sen. Bolsonaro began his political career at 21, when he became Rio’s youngest elected state lawmaker.

With former President Jair Bolsonaro barred from running as he serves a 27-year sentence under house detention, his eldest son has largely embraced his father’s ultra-conservative agenda while trying to moderate his communication style to attract centrist voters.

His hard-line security policies have been a pillar of his campaign, and polls show these proposals are popular. The senator has pledged to fight criminal groups by building El Salvador-style megaprisons, to follow the Trump administration’s lead by designating transnational gangs as terrorist organizations and to try defendants as young as 16 as adults.

Brazil plays a vital role in mitigating global warming by protecting the Amazon rainforest, but deforestation hit a record high during Bolsonaro's presidency, and his son has likewise denied human-caused climate change, committing only to stopping illegal deforestation.

Sen. Bolsonaro’s admission that he accepted millions of dollars from disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film on his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign. He is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the case.

Lula has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to meddle in Brazil’s elections and has made defending Brazil's sovereignty a key campaign issue. The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment on whether it is seeking to influence the outcome, but he has repeatedly made gestures favoring his ally.

Trump announced 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods last year, citing — among other reasons — the trial of Jair Bolsonaro. This year, he imposed a new round of U.S. tariffs, citing unfair trade practices despite running a U.S. surplus. Trump also classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations shortly after receiving Sen. Bolsonaro at the White House — a move Lula's administration opposed as a pretext for intervention.

A victory by Sen. Bolsonaro would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries — including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru — that have elected Trump-friendly governments in recent years.

Brazil also held its first round of voting for state and federal lawmakers on Oct. 4, and candidates who won more than 50% of valid votes, which exclude blank and spoiled ballots, were confirmed. Joining Lula and Bolsonaro on runoff ballots are governors in five states and the federal district.

Voting in Brazil is mandatory, and almost 160 million Brazilians are called to the polls. But more than 33 million, or 21% of the electorate, did not vote earlier this month, and could face a small fine for failing to cast a ballot without justification. People who missed the first round can vote in the second.

Brazilians cast ballots using electronic voting machines, punching in digits that correspond to their candidates. Results are reported within hours after polls close.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A demonstrator carries a coffin-shaped sign symbolizing the death of Bolsonarism and depicting opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro during a student rally in support of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's reelection in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, attend a campaign rally on Copacabana beach one week before the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro kisses a bible during celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Assemblies of God Ministry of Madureira Pentecostal church, while campaigning ahead of the upcoming presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, left, raises his hands as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, looks on during a televised presidential debate one week before the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 40 others, authorities said.

The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman.

Footage broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots. A third man who appears to be holding a semiautomatic rifle then approaches and opens fire, and all three then run toward the church.

Video footage taken by witnesses shows broken glass and pools of blood on the floor of the church.

Dorgham Halasa, who was among the mourners inside the church, said intense gunfire erupted 15 minutes after the funeral had started, and then people started running. “It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire,” Halasa said.

He did not see the gunmen, but said other people reported seeing four of them. The Associated Press could not independently verify the number of assailants, and Jordan’s security services did not immediately release details.

A government statement said that the attack was “carried out by unknown assailants,” but didn't say whether any gunmen were captured or killed. It said that “investigations are underway at full speed.”

Jordan declared three days of national mourning, according to the kingdom’s Petra News Agency.

Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens. Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.

Jordan’s Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of those wounded are in critical condition.

King Abdullah II said on X that Jordan “will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties” and offered his “deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded.”

Jordan’s Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said during a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening that the attack was a result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He said the assailants will be punished and legal measures taken against those who seek to introduce extremism.

Condemnation of the slayings came from around the region, including from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman.

Ahmed al-Tayeb in Cairo, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost religious institution, offered his condolences to the families of victims in Friday’s shooting, calling it a “heinous terrorist attack.”

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called his Jordanian counterpart and “affirmed Iraq’s solidarity with Jordan in the face of terrorism,” Hussein’s office said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack during a funeral as “especially heinous,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The secretary-general also calls for all those responsible to be found and to be held to account.”

This story has been corrected to give the distance between Karak and Amman as 90 kilometers instead of 180.

Blood stains the steps and pavement outside a Greek Orthodox church hours after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

The interior of a Greek Orthodox church is seen hours after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

Journalists and other people stand outside a Greek Orthodox church cordoned off with crime scene tape hours after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.(AP Photo)

Residents gather as soldiers and security officers block the entrance to Prince Ali Military Hospital during King Abdullah II's visit to people wounded in a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral hours earlier, in Karak, Jordan, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

Soldiers and security officers hold back residents outside Prince Ali Military Hospital during King Abdullah II's visit to people wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church hours earlier, in Karak, Jordan, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

A security officer stands guard a Greek Orthodox Church where gunmen opened fire during a funeral earlier in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

A security officer stands guard outside a Greek Orthodox Church where gunmen opened fire during a funeral earlier in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

A man looks through a gap in a stone wall toward a Greek Orthodox church where gunmen opened fire during a funeral hours earlier in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)