Brazil presidential election heads to runoff with bolsonaro ahead of lula

Brazil’s presidential election is heading toward a runoff, according to reporting that says neither leading candidate is expected to win outright in the first round on Oct. 4.

The available reports differ on who is ahead. Naharnet says polls show President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly leading Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, while ZeroHedge describes the race as statistically tied.

Both candidates have appealed to women voters with proposals to address violence against women. Bolsonaro has pledged chemical castration for rapists and child abusers; Lula has spoken of building a country free of femicide.

Women make up 53% of Brazil’s electorate, and gender-based violence has become a prominent campaign issue, Naharnet reports.