Gap is narrowing in run up to Sunday's vote
ADVERTISEMENTBrazilians go to the polls on Sunday to choose their next president. Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro took a commanding lead in the first round - with a security focused campaign calling for the relaxation of gun controls and enhanced powers to the police.
Polls make him the clear favourite to win the runoff … although his lead has slipped in recent days.
Bolsonaro has picked up on a wave of anti-establishment anger in a context of high crime and prosecutions for corruption against mainstream parties. His movement is drawing parallels with the political changes seen in the United States.
"In many ways the movement behind Bolsonaro is quite similar to that that brought Donald Trump to the White House,” says analyst Richard Lapper. “I think there's gonna be an attempt, by Bolsonaro to cosy up to the Americans. The problem Brazil's got however is that it's extremely dependent on its economic relations with China."
Bolsonaro's rival is the former mayor of Sao Paulo Fernando Haddad from the left wing Workers Party. He was brought in as a replacement for former President Lula da Silva, who was barred from running because of a corruption conviction. Haddad has adopted Lula’s old slogan "Make the people happy again" ... but has had difficulty mobilising support.