Brazil heads to 25 October runoff as Flávio Bolsonaro edges Lula in first round
Right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro won about 47% of the vote in Brazil's first-round presidential election on 4 October, ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on about 45%, with almost all votes counted, BBC reported. Neither reached a majority, so the two face a runoff on 25 October.
Brazil’s presidential election will go to a second round on 25 October after right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro finished ahead of incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s first round, BBC, Agência Brasil and DW reported.
The result
With almost all votes counted, Bolsonaro, 45, had about 47% and Lula, 80, about 45%, according to the BBC. Lula had polled slightly ahead during the campaign. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) also had the most governors, senators and federal deputies elected in results so far, the BBC said. Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election; Jair Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle was elected to the Senate on Sunday.
What the candidates said
Lula called the outcome “unexpected” but said the race was not over: “We are in extra time.” Bolsonaro said he was “very happy” and confident of winning in three weeks. Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged an amnesty for his father and for those responsible for the 8 January 2023 riots if elected, plus a public-debt ceiling and spending cuts. Lula has campaigned on sovereignty and his social programmes such as Bolsa Família.
The head of Brazil’s supreme electoral court said no evidence of international interference was found in the election, the BBC reported. Markets reacted on Monday: a Brazilian exchange-traded fund jumped 15% in Frankfurt, Reuters reported.
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