Brazil election: Flavio Bolsonaro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva head to runoff after tight race

Populist Flavio Bolsonaro has secured a thin lead over incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but the next president of Brazil will be decided in the runoff round, according to the country’s electoral court.

With votes being counted in Brazil following the presidential election on Sunday, populist Senator Flavio Bolsonaro was leading the race ahead of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro seeks to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, while Lula is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term.

With more than 99% of the ballots processed, Flavio Bolsonaro has received 47.2% of the vote, and Lula has 45%. Since neither candidate received enough votes to win outright on Sunday, the country's electoral court announced that Bolsonaro and Lula will face each other in a runoff on October 25.

Commenting on the outcome, Bolsonaro said he was "very happy with the real possibility that, three weeks from now, Brazil will give a definitive answer by choosing a modern government."

In turn, Lula said it was "unexpected" as he was convinced he would "win in the first round."

"Tomorrow we start a new campaign," the 80-year-old said. "I am very good in the knockout stage."

You can relive the Brazil election with the recording of our livestream below.

Fabio de Sa e Silva, a professor of Brazilian studies at the University of Oklahoma, told DW that the right was currently on the rise in Brazil.

"The big news is not that we have a runoff... but it is a takeover that happened in Congress by the far-right," the researcher said.

He added that it will be very hard for Lula to govern with Brazil's new Congress, even if he eventually secures another term.

Along with voting for president, Brazil's 160 million registered voters also chose other lawmakers, governors, and some senators.

Those races brought more victories for the Bolsonaro family, with former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and another son of the former president, Carlos Bolsonaro, both winning Senate seats.