Brazil's presidential race heads to a runoff as Flávio Bolsonaro leads Lula
In the first round of Brazil's presidential election, right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro outpolled incumbent President Lula da Silva but fell short of an outright majority, sending the race to an October 25 runoff.
Tight race ends without a winner
On Sunday, Brazil's right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, outpolled incumbent left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, in the first round of the presidential election, but fell short of the outright majority needed to win outright. A runoff is now set for October 25.
With 99.9% of votes counted, The Guardian reports Bolsonaro took 47% (56.1 million votes) against Lula's 45.1% (53.8 million). The BBC, citing 99% of ballots counted, gives slightly different figures — 47.03% versus 45.16%. The result exceeded pre-election polling, which had shown Lula ahead until the final days.
Who is Flávio Bolsonaro
Flávio Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Barred from running himself, Jair Bolsonaro anointed his son as his political successor. Flávio has pledged to pardon his father and the participants of the January 8, 2023 riots, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings after the election loss.
During the campaign it emerged that Flávio Bolsonaro is under investigation for corruption linked to financing "Dark Horse," a biopic about his father. According to the BBC, leaked recordings reportedly captured him asking for 134 million reais (about $25.9m). The allegations do not appear to have dented his support.
A strong showing for the right
Right-wing candidates also performed strongly in congressional and gubernatorial races. Bolsonaro's brother Carlos and stepmother Michelle Bolsonaro both won Senate seats, while his youngest brother Jair Renan was elected to the lower house. The Guardian notes that 34 of the 54 senators elected belong to right-wing or far-right parties. Former infrastructure minister Tarcísio de Freitas was reelected governor of São Paulo state.
Reactions
Flávio Bolsonaro said the result marked "the end of an era" for Lula's Workers' Party and voiced confidence in a runoff win. Lula admitted he had expected to win outright in the first round, but called the outcome "a lesson in Brazilian democracy" and promised a new campaign phase that would expose Bolsonaro's "dark past." US President Donald Trump also featured in the campaign: Lula accused him of trying to sway the vote toward Bolsonaro in order to "colonize" Brazil, while Trump said he was watching the election "very closely" without formally endorsing either candidate.
