Bolsonaro and Lula head to a runoff in Brazil's presidential election
Brazil’s electoral court said neither incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nor Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro won enough votes for an outright victory in Sunday’s election. They will meet in a runoff on Oct. 25.
With 99.8% of ballots counted, Bolsonaro had slightly more than 56 million votes, compared with 53.7 million for Lula. The next presidential term is scheduled to start Jan. 5.
The winner will lead Latin America’s largest economy and a country of 214 million people. The result could shape Brazil’s international ties: Bolsonaro’s victory would strengthen U.S. influence, while Lula’s would maintain distance from Washington and deepen relations with China.
Bolsonaro told supporters that voters wanted change and declared the Workers’ Party era was ending. Lula said the result was unexpected because he had hoped to win in the first round.
Key points
- Neither candidate won a majority, setting up an Oct. 25 runoff.
- Bolsonaro led Lula by more than two million votes with 99.8% counted.
- The outcome could affect Brazil’s relationships with the United States and China.