Brazil election: Bolsonaro and Lula headed to run-off after tight race
- President Jair Bolsonaro’s surprising strength in a first-round vote spoiled rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s hopes of winning outright
- As neither got a majority of support, the presidential race will go to a second-round vote on October 30
Brazil’s bitterly divisive presidential election is headed for a run-off on October 30 as incumbent Jair Bolsonaro beat expectations to finish a closer-than-expected second to front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Lula, the veteran leftist seeking a presidential comeback, had 48.4 per cent of the vote to 43.2 per cent for the far-right president with more than 99 per cent of polling station results in, according to the Superior Electoral Tribunal.
It was an unexpectedly strong result for combative ex-army captain Bolsonaro – and for Brazil’s far-right, which also had surprise good showings in a series of key Congressional and governors’ races.
Lula, the popular but tarnished ex-president who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, had been the favourite to win the race – possibly in a single round.
On the eve of the election, leading polling firm Datafolha had given Lula 50 per cent of the vote to 36 per cent for Bolsonaro.
To win in the first round, a candidate had to get more than 50 per cent of the vote.