Brazilians are voting Sunday in a presidential election, with incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva hoping to win a second term.

Polls released just before the vote put Mr. da Silva in the lead with around 50 percent support, and his closest challenger, former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin of the Social Democracy Party, in the high 30s.

The 60-year-old da Silva, who first won the presidency in 2002, voted today in Sao Bernardo de Campo, outside of Sao Paulo.

It is unclear if he will be able to win a majority for an outright victory. If needed, a second round of voting would be held October 29.

The president has had to contend with recent revelations that members of his leftist Workers’ Party tried to buy damaging information about his political opponents.

But he has remained popular, especially with the country’s poor, because of Brazil’s stable economy and social programs.

Some 125 million people are expected to participate in the balloting. They will also select governors and members of Congress.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.