Brazilians vote in tense presidential race led by right-winger

Brazilians began voting onSunday in a polarized presidential race that could result in theelection of a far-right former army captain, whose praise ofpast dictatorships enrages critics but whose promise of a brutalcrackdown on crime and corruption has electrified hissupporters.

Front-runner Jair Bolsonaro, whom some call a tropicalTrump, has surged in opinion polls in the past week.

He is riding a wave of anger at the establishment after theuncovering of one of the world's largest political graftschemes, opposition to a return to power by the leftist WorkersParty (PT) blamed for much of that corruption, and fears aboutspiking crime in the country with more murders than any other.

But Brazil is split over what cost to its democracy it maypay if it chooses Bolsonaro, a long-time congressman who hasrepeatedly praised the 1964-85 military regime but now vows tostick strongly to democratic ideals, a conversion many question.

Bolsonaro's closest rival is PT candidate Fernando Haddad, aformer mayor of Sao Paulo and one-time education minister. He isstanding in for the party's imprisoned founder, former president
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Two polls published late on Saturday showed Bolsonaro hadincreased his lead over Haddad in the past two days, taking 36percent of voter intentions compared with Haddad's 22 percent.The pair are deadlocked in a likely run-off vote on Oct. 28 thatis required if no candidate takes a majority on Sunday.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local timeand will closeat 5 p.m. in all but the far western portions of Brazil. Exitpolls should be broadcast at 7 p.m. and results will startflowing shortly after that because Brazil uses an electronicvoting system.

The 147 million voters will choose the president, all 513members of the lower house of Congress, two-thirds of the81-member Senate plus governors and legislatorsin all 27 states.

Almost two-thirds of the electorate are concentrated in themore populous south and southeast of Brazil where its biggestcities, Sao Paulo and Rio Janeiro, are located - and whereBolsonaro holds a commanding lead. A quarter of the voters arein the less developed northeast, traditionally a PT stronghold.

Retired generals backing Bolsonaro

In the most polarized election since the end of militaryrule in 1985, Bolsonaro is backed by a group of retired generalswho have criticized the PT governments from 2003-2016 andpublicly advocate military intervention if corruption continues.

In a final appeal for votes on a live Facebook stream onSaturday night, Bolsonaro, 63, called on Brazilians to help himclean up the political system and establish better government ofBrazil's rich mineral and agricultural resources.

"We have everything. What we need are politicians who arecommitted to their country and not to party interests," he saidfrom his home, where he is recovering from a near-fatal stabbing
at a campaign rally. He underwent two emergency surgeries and itis not clear how much campaigning he will be able to do if thevote heads into a runoff.

Bolsonaro, who sees himself as a Brazilian version of U.S.President Donald Trump, dismissed as "fake news" accusationsthat he was sexist, racist and homophobic.

A Bolsonaro government would speed up the privatization ofstate companies to reduce Brazil's budget deficit and relaxenvironmental controls for farming and mining. It would alsoblock efforts to legalize abortion, drugs and gay marriage.

Haddadas moderate

Haddad, who has presented himself as a fiscally responsiblemoderate, spent the last day of the campaign targeting undecidedvoters in the Bahia state in Brazil's northeast, the heartland
of the PT's support, but where Bolsonaro has made gains inpolling.

Haddad took Bolsonaro to task for skipping the lastpresidential debate on Thursday, which other candidates said wasa sign he was unprepared to govern. Bolsonaro said he could notattend on the orders of his medical team.

The PT candidate said Bolsonaro wants to "win in the firstround vote without having to debate the issues and that is badfor democracy."

"We have the ability to defeat what Bolsonaro stands for, interms of reversing social gains, in terms of civility, in termsof solidarity and in terms of mutual respect," Haddad said.