Partial returns from Brazil's first-round presidential vote showed Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leading President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with slower counting still expected from Lula's northeastern strongholds.
Brazilians voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that pits incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Reuters reported that polling stations opened for a race also choosing the vice president, all 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 54 Senate seats.
With about 32 percent of votes reported on Sunday afternoon, Reuters said Flavio Bolsonaro led Lula by 50.74 percent to 41.14 percent. Deutsche Welle, citing the electoral court at a later stage with 65 percent of ballots processed, put Flavio at 49.6 percent and Lula at 42.3 percent. Both accounts noted that southern states that lean toward Bolsonaro were reporting faster than Lula's northeastern base.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of valid votes, excluding blank and null ballots, to win outright. Otherwise the top two advance to a runoff on 25 October. Reuters said pre-election surveys had pointed to a likely second round, with Lula and Flavio roughly even in runoff matchups.
Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. Flavio, 45, is running to restore the right-wing movement of his father, who is under house arrest after a conviction tied to an attempt to overturn the 2022 result. Both leading candidates skipped major televised debates, and the campaign centered on corruption allegations, economic anxiety and claims of U.S. interference rather than detailed policy exchanges.
Flavio has said he expects a first-round win. Lula campaigned through Saturday with a march in Sao Paulo. Electoral authorities were still tabulating votes on Sunday evening, and the geographic lag in the count means the early lead is not a final result.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Reuters reported Flavio telling journalists in Rio he was confident of a first-round win, citing voter frustration with Lula.
- Campaign-closing rallies drew large crowds for Lula in Sao Paulo and a motorcycle caravan for Flavio in Sao Paulo state, according to Reuters.