Brazil's presidential race heads to Lula–Bolsonaro run-off as right gains ground
Now there are two: Brazil heads into a runoff after a first round that failed to fully energize voters, setting the stage for a more polarized contest that Washington is watching very closely.
Brazil's presidential election will proceed to a runoff after the first round failed to produce a clear winner. According to reports, with around 65% of votes counted, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was leading with 49.58% of the vote, while leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva trailed with 42.25%, per The Korea Times.
The BBC News reported that with over 90% of votes counted, Bolsonaro had 48.05% and Lula had 43.97%. As no candidate secured over 50% of the vote, a runoff election is set for October 25. Lula and Bolsonaro are expected to poll roughly evenly in the second round, according to Datafolha.
The election has been closely watched, with Lula warning that the choice was between "democracy and barbarism", while Bolsonaro sought to "free the Brazilian people". The outcome is seen as significant, with a regional shift to the right and concerns over corruption scandals, economic anxiety, and US meddling.
Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, France 24, The Korea Times, BBC News, Ajel English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Flávio Bolsonaro leads ahead of Lula with the first scrutiny data expansion.com
- Brazil election headed to runoff as no candidate secures 50% israelnationalnews.com
