What to know about Brazil's election pitting Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro

Key Points:

• Brazil's general election features incumbent left-wing leader Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva facing 11 challengers, with right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, as the main opponent.
• Jair Bolsonaro, barred from running and serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, remains influential via an AI-generated avatar endorsing his son's campaign, despite restrictions on his public communications.
• Polls show Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro both near 40%, making a run-off likely on 25 October, with a significant portion of voters still undecided or planning to spoil their ballots.
• Lula, an 80-year-old former president known for poverty reduction and environmental commitments, faces criticism over recent oil drilling policies but emphasizes Brazil's sovereignty and opposition to foreign interference.
• Flávio Bolsonaro campaigns on continuing his father's tough-on-crime policies, courting evangelicals and farmers, while recent corruption scandals involving a jailed banker have shifted voter concerns from crime to corruption ahead of the election.