ELISSA NADWORNY, HOST:
Voters in Brazil go to the polls tomorrow. They face a familiar lineup on their ballots as they pick a president to lead Latin America's largest country. It's a rematch between a veteran leftist, the current president, and the son of a former far-right president who's trying to keep his conservative evangelical movement alive.
The contest comes at a time when the Trump administration is exerting more influence and military might in Latin America, a region that has recently shifted to the right. If polls are correct, Brazil's presidential race is expected to be very close. For what's at stake for Brazil and for the world, we are joined by our South America correspondent Carrie Kahn, who is in Rio de Janeiro. Good evening, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi, Elissa.
NADWORNY: So on the eve of the vote, tell us what we should know about this election.
KAHN: First off, the weather isn't cooperating. It's been nonstop rain here, casting a bit of gray gloom in Rio. The Christ the Redeemer statue and the dramatic Sugarloaf Mountain that's just behind me have been shrouded in fog most of the day. So we're really hoping for sun on voting day.
But back to the ballot, it is a big one. Brazilians will choose new governors, senators and a whole new lower house of Congress. But all eyes are on the presidential race. There are 12 candidates vying for the post in this first round - my favorite, the veterinarian promising free Botox for low-income women.
NADWORNY: Wow. OK. Back to the front-runners - one is longtime leftist leader and incumbent. Can you tell us about him?
KAHN: Sure. That's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He is almost 81, and if he wins, this would be his fourth nonconsecutive term as president. He's been posting videos of himself at the gym. He likes to ease voters' concerns about his age. And he has kept up quite a vigorous campaign schedule.
His top rival is a familiar name too - Bolsonaro. But this is Flavio Bolsonaro. His dad, Jair, lost to Lula four years ago and is now under house arrest, convicted for attempting a coup. Jair Bolsonaro has been barred from any participation in this election, but he did appoint or anoint his eldest son, Flavio, to take over the Bolsonaro conservative movement.
NADWORNY: OK, so the names are the same. But now take us through what voters, analysts and pollsters are telling you about this race.
KAHN: Sure. A few things to keep in mind - Brazil has become, in recent years, a very polarized country, much like the U.S., and this is going to be a very close election. I spent much of last week in Brazil's largest city and financial capital, Sao Paulo, talking to voters.
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KAHN: On Sundays, the main Paulista Avenue is closed to cars. Joggers and families take over, as well as campaigners for Bolsonaro and Lula alike.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Vocalizing).
KAHN: The political crowds, however, are smaller than four years ago. Enthusiasm for tomorrow's contest is much lower, and cynicism is high, especially for 45-year-old Carlos Nacli (ph), standing on the large avenue's median.
CARLOS NACLI: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "Voting for Lula and voting for Flavio is voting for the same person," he shouts through a bullhorn. "They're all corrupt," he says. Corruption is top on voters' minds, especially in the last weeks of the race, as revelations came to light that a jailed banker financially backed the Bolsonaros. Supreme Court justices also got caught up in the fray, including one seen as close to Lula.
MAURO CONCEPCION: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "The lesser of two evils."
Mauro Concepcion (ph) is retired and 61 and says he doesn't like either candidate. Neither does his wife, Sandra (ph).
SANDRA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "Yeah, we're going to have to choose the best one, even though it will still be the worst," she adds. Both say they will wait until they are in the polling booth to make their choice, but for sure, it will not be Lula. I spoke with pollster Yuri Sanches of the firm Atlas Intel based in Rio and asked him about this lack of enthusiasm for both candidates.
YURI SANCHES: There is not a novelty around Lula anymore, and he's not the Lula who excited people in his triumphal comeback in 2022. He also kind of fails to connect with younger generations or with people online.
KAHN: What about Flavio Bolsonaro? Is he exciting Brazil's right wing?
SANCHES: He was not the candidate that was desired, neither from the political system, -because also from Bolsonaristas (ph). And he's not the most charismatic of the Bolsonaros. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son that is currently in the United States - he was, in fact, the one that was maybe groomed to be the next Bolsonaro president.
KAHN: Eduardo Bolsonaro is facing multiple investigations here in Brazil, which he says are politically motivated, and he's staying put in the U.S. So in the end, Sanchez says about 80% of the electorate is locked in on who they'll vote for, leaving a small group of voters deciding this election. He started calling them the elector pendulum, or Brazil's new swing voter. Thirty-eight-year-old Camila de Zuani (ph) is one of them.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: She's watching TV with her newborn baby girl asleep on her chest in her tiny two-room Sao Paulo apartment. She says she's always voted for conservatives but now is really turned off by how negative this election has been.
CAMILA DE ZUANI: (Non-English langauge spoken).
KAHN: "You don't really have a democracy anymore, just a lot of attacks and two individuals yelling at each other," she says. She wants to know how the candidates will tackle crime and stop the robberies in her working class neighborhood. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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