Brasilia: Right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has finished ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, but failed to cross the 50 per cent mark needed for an outright victory, setting up a closely watched run-off on October 25.
With 98.81 per cent of the votes counted, Bolsonaro secured 47.24 per cent of the vote, while Lula received 44.91 per cent. Under Brazil’s presidential election system, a candidate must secure more than 50 per cent of the vote to win in the first round. Since neither candidate achieved that threshold, the two will now face each other in the second round.
The result represents a strong showing for Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The former right-wing leader is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of masterminding a failed attempt to overturn the previous election result through a military coup.
The first-round contest had been expected to be tight, although Lula had maintained a slight lead in opinion polls during the campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro’s performance nevertheless exceeded expectations and has significantly altered the political landscape ahead of the run-off.
The outcome could also favour Bolsonaro as several other candidates who failed to advance to the second round were from the right-wing political camp. The ability of the Bolsonaro campaign to attract its supporters could prove decisive on October 25.
Lula, meanwhile, will now seek to consolidate his existing support while reaching out to voters who backed candidates eliminated in the first round. The president faces the challenge of preventing the right from gaining control of Brazil’s presidency.
The election is being closely watched across Latin America, where a number of countries have elected right-wing presidents in recent years, with several of them maintaining close political alignment with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Brazil’s second-round contest will therefore have significance beyond its borders.
The October 25 run-off between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro will decide whether Brazil continues under left-wing leadership or moves towards the right amid a broader conservative shift across parts of Latin America.
(IANS)
