Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump, and Brazil's veteran President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face off in a runoff on Oct. 25 for the top job of Latin America's powerhouse economy. The country's electoral court in Brasilia said neither the 80-year-old incumbent, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term, nor the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro would garner the more than 50% of the total vote needed for an outright win. Brazil's electoral court in Brasilia had Bolsonaro with just over 56 million votes to Lula's 53.7 million, with 99.8% of the vote reported.
Bolsonaro addressed the press and a small group of supporters, including some wearing green and yellow Brazil jerseys and one woman wrapped in the Israeli flag, outside his Brasilia house. "Brazil wants change, that's the reading of what happened today," Bolsonaro said. "It's the end of the Workers' Party era," he added, in a reference to Lula's party.
Lula, seeking to be encouraging ahead of an uphill battle to beat Bolsonaro in the runoff, said the result was "unexpected" as he had thought he could win in the first round. "Tomorrow we start a new campaign," Lula said. "I am very good in the knockout stage.
We will see who has the best plan." Trump allies have fared well in recent elections in Latin America, including in Argentina, Colombia, Honduras and Peru. Lula has accused the U.S. administration of trying to sway his country's election to Bolsonaro by imposing tariffs, revoking the visa of the country's ambassador to Washington, and imposing sanctions on government officials and one Supreme Court justice. The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment on whether it is seeking to interfere in the vote.
The next presidential term begins on Jan. 5, 2027. The winner will be in charge of Latin America's biggest economy and a population of 214 million. A win for Bolsonaro would increase U.S. influence in Latin America.
If Lula wins, Brazil will keep its distance from Washington and continue to deepen its relationship with China. Both Lula and Bolsonaro will have three weeks to reach moderate voters who did not support them in the first round. Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos, two candidates who found moderate support in Sunday's election, have previously said they will not endorse either bidder in the runoff.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
