Senator Flavio Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil's first-round presidential vote, but short of a majority, setting a runoff for 25 October.
Brazil's presidential election is heading to a second round after Senator Flavio Bolsonaro led the first-round vote without reaching the majority required to win outright. BBC News reported that, with 99 percent of votes counted, Bolsonaro had 47.03 percent and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 45.16 percent. Electoral authorities confirmed the two will meet again on 25 October.
Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence over a failed coup attempt after the previous election, the BBC reported. Lula, the incumbent, had been polling slightly ahead during the campaign, so the first-round lead for the Liberal Party senator exceeded many expectations.
The Washington Post reported that the pair finished first and second on Sunday and will contest the runoff. BBC News also said Bolsonaro's Liberal Party led in governors, senators and federal deputies in results so far, pointing to a strong congressional position if those figures hold.
The result leaves Latin America's largest economy with a three-week campaign between a right-wing challenger aligned with the political current of Jair Bolsonaro and a left-wing incumbent seeking another term. Other first-round candidates are now out, and both camps will try to attract voters who did not back them on 4 October.
The next formal step is the 25 October runoff. Until then, incomplete legislative and state results will continue to be updated by Brazil's electoral authorities, and both campaigns are expected to reset their appeals to undecided and eliminated-candidate voters.
People Sentiments Mixed
- BBC reporting described the first-round result as stronger than expected for Bolsonaro.
- The Washington Post noted supporters celebrating partial results in Porto Alegre.