Brazilians cast ballots Sunday in their most divisive presidential election in years, with Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician promising an iron-fisted crackdown on crime, the firm favorite in the first round.
Bolsonaro, who has surged in the polls since being stabbed during a campaign rally September 6, predicted a first-round victory as he cast his ballot in western Rio de Janeiro.
While that is possible, analysts say the 63-year-old former paratrooper is more likely to fall short of a majority in Sunday's voting. If so, the contest will go to a run-off on October 28 between the top two candidates.
Bolsonaro's nearest rival is former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad, a stand-in for former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption.
Haddad was greeted by neighbors banging pots and pans in protest as he arrived to vote in an upscale district of Brazil's largest city, while supporters chanted their support.