Brazil heads to runoff as Lula and Bolsonaro's son fail to win outright majority
Neither incumbent President Lula da Silva nor Senator Flávio Bolsonaro secured an outright majority in Sunday's vote, sending Latin America's largest economy to an October 25 runoff.
Brazil's electoral court in Brasilia has confirmed that neither candidate in Sunday's presidential election won the outright majority needed to avoid a runoff, setting up a decisive second round on October 25. With 99.8% of votes counted, 80-year-old incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, had about 53.7 million votes, while 45-year-old Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of US President Donald Trump — led with just over 56 million votes.
The winner will take office on January 5 to lead South America's largest economy, home to 214 million people. Observers note a Bolsonaro victory would likely strengthen US influence in Brazil, while a Lula win could further distance Brasília from Washington and deepen ties with China.
Speaking outside his home in Brasília to a small crowd of supporters, Flávio Bolsonaro said the result showed Brazilians want change and declared it the end of the Workers' Party era, referring to Lula's party. Lula, for his part, admitted the outcome was unexpected since he had hoped to win outright in the first round, but expressed confidence about his chances in a head-to-head contest.
Both candidates now have three weeks to court moderate voters who backed other contenders. Writer Augusto Cury, who placed third with 3.4 million votes, said he would not endorse either candidate in the runoff, echoing earlier statements from candidates Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos, who together won roughly 5.3 million votes.
Lula is expected to lean on the popularity of his social programmes and highlight his rival's legal troubles, but faces headwinds from an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal involving Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had led the investigation that resulted in Jair Bolsonaro's conviction over an alleged coup plot. Polls suggest roughly half of Brazilians disapprove of the Bolsonaro family, while the other half disapprove of Lula's Workers' Party, underscoring the image challenges both sides face heading into the runoff.
