RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The second round of Brazilian general elections started on Sunday morning, with voters across the country heading to the polls to choose a new president and 14 state governors.
The presidential election will be a contest between right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro and left-leaning Workers' Party's candidate Fernando Haddad.
Bolsonaro had a wide lead in the first round of the elections held on Oct. 7, winning 46 percent of valid votes, while Haddad had 29 percent.
Both candidates have already voted in this second round of elections on Sunday morning.
Bolsonaro voted in Rio de Janeiro, where he made his political career as a federal representative. The school where the candidate voted had reinforced security, as Bolsonaro was the victim of an attack in early September, before the first round elections, in which he was stabbed in the abdomen.
One hour before the beginning of the voting session, the entire area was submitted to a security inspection, with sniffer dogs and electronic equipment to search for explosives.
Bolsonaro expressed his expectation for a victory. He has been leading the race in all polls, but with a continuously diminishing gap from his opponent.
"For what I have seen in these past months, it will be a victory," he said.
Haddad also voted in the morning in his home state Sao Paulo, where he served as mayor of state capital Sao Paulo for four years. Before that, he served as Education Minister for almost seven years.
Haddad, who has been working to turn around votes in this second round, said he expects peaceful elections.
"We have great expectations for a day of peace and tranquility, without any acts of violence," he said.
Brazil's President Michel Temer voted on Sunday in Sao Paulo to choose his successor.
Temer voted early in a school in Sao Paulo, his home state. He was accompanied by Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications Minister Gilberto Kassab, and talked to reporters on his way out.
According to the president, the transition to the new government starts on Monday and will be "very calm."
"We will start the transition tomorrow, promptly," he said. "It is practically all organized in relation to all government sectors and transition topics, so the elected president's team will receive practically all data from the current government, what was done and what needs to be done."
Temer, who did not declare his vote for president or governor of Sao Paulo state, said he expects voting to be tranquil this Sunday and "absolute peace and harmony from tomorrow on."
"We are sure that Brazil and the Brazilian people, who are very connected to solidarity, friendship, fraternity, will gather together from today on," he said.
A second round of governor elections will also be held in 13 Brazilian states and the Federal District, including the three most populated states in Brazil such as Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
The results of the elections are expected to be out before midnight as the election system in the country is now completely electronic. Enditem
