Polls close in Brazil's second-round presidential election

By Bala Chambers

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - Polls in Brazil closed at 5:00 p.m. local time (2000GMT) on Sunday as the country held a second-round run-off between two presidential candidates.

Since 8:00 a.m. local time (1100GMT) when the polls opened, Brazilians faced the choice between far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the country's new president.

Lula, a former union leader, was a candidate during the 2018 presidential election until a corruption and money laundering conviction curtailed his political aspirations. He was sent to prison and Bolsonaro, a former army captain, won the presidency.

On Sunday, Lula who governed Brazil from 2003-2010, cast his vote at around 9:20 a.m. (1220 GMT) in Sao Bernardo do Campo, a municipality of Sao Paulo, and was greeted by a number of supporters chanting his name.

Lula spoke briefly to the press calling it a "very special day for the history of Brazil" and also drew attention to Saturday's incident by a staunch Bolsonaro ally who pointed a gun at a Black man in Sao Paulo.

A video circulating on social media showed lawmaker Carla Zambelli of Brazil's Liberal Party pursuing a Black man in Sao Paulo and pointing a gun at him at a bar.

As details continue to emerge, Lula condemned the incident, calling it an "aggressive and unnecessary gesture.”

Bolsonaro who trails in the latest polls cast his vote in Rio de Janeiro, flanked by a security team.

The former army captain was the first to cast his vote at around 8:00 a.m. local time and later met with Flamengo's football team who had won the regional South American soccer tournament, the Copa Libertadores, on Saturday.

- ‘Brazil will be victorious’

The far-right incumbent spoke briefly to the media but did not respond to the questions on Zambelli.

"We only have good news in the last few days. God willing, we will be victorious this afternoon. Or rather, Brazil will be victorious this afternoon," said Bolsonaro.

On Sunday, at least 560 police operations were carried out against vehicles transporting voters, according to the G1 news portal, with a number of videos surfacing online appearing to show various police operations in effect.

In the afternoon, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) chief Alexandre de Moraes summoned Silvinei Vasques, the director general of the Federal Highway Police (PRF), for a meeting to discuss the matter, with Vasques pledging to suspend all police road operations.

The move came after authorities received a number of complaints from voters who alleged trouble voting – notably in the Northeast of Brazil and considered a Lula stronghold.

On Saturday, de Moraes had prohibited the PRF and the federal police from carrying out any operations on public transport until after the elections.

On Sunday, Geraldo Alckmin, Lula's vice-presidential running mate, on Twitter had called for "the arrest of the General Director of the PRF and the Regional Superintendents who are not complying with the decision of the TSE."

A number of media reports also underscored that prior to Sunday's vote, Vasques asked his Instagram followers to vote for Bolsonaro. He later deleted the post.

In a press conference in the afternoon, de Moraes underscored that the PRF operations did not prevent voters from voting.