Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro advance to runoff in Brazilian presidential election
Brazil's first round of presidential voting produced no clear winner, forcing a runoff between leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro on 25 October. With about 65 percent of ballots counted, Bolsonaro held a narrow lead at 49.8 percent against Lula's 42.25 percent.
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Brazil's polarised presidential race resulted in no outright winner in the first round, leading to a runoff scheduled for 25 October between leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Lula is seeking an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term as president. His opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, is an ally of former US president Donald Trump and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
With roughly 65 percent of ballots counted on Sunday evening, partial results showed Bolsonaro leading with 49.8 percent of the vote to Lula's 42.25 percent, while several other candidates received single-digit percentages. The two candidates had repeatedly traded the lead during the final weeks of campaigning, making the outcome of the runoff difficult to predict.
The election is widely considered a referendum on both Lula's economic and social policies and the future of Bolsonarismo following the imprisonment of the former president. Political analysts expect the result to have significant consequences across Latin America, as the world's largest economy in the region determines its political direction.
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