Brazil heads for runoff in presidential elections

Brazil will hold a presidential runoff on Oct 25 after official results showed on Sunday that no candidate had secured a majority of valid votes in the first round.

According to results released by the Superior Electoral Court, with over 99 percent of the ballots counted, Flavio Bolsonaro, presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, garnered about 47 percent of valid votes while incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party came in second with about 45 percent.

Under Brazil's electoral rules, a presidential candidate must secure more than half of the valid votes to win outright in the first round. Otherwise, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a runoff.

Following the announcement of the first-round results, Bolsonaro said his lead over Lula in the first round of voting marks "end of the Workers Party era".

He was referring to Lula's political party as he spoke outside his Brasilia house with his wife beside him and surrounded by a group of close supporters.

Later at a press conference in Brasilia he said that he was satisfied with the election result and hoped to have the opportunity to serve Brazil and its people.

"Brazil wants change. I just need a mandate to put Brazilians at the center of my government, to tackle and solve Brazil's real problems," he said.

Speaking in Sao Paulo, Lula acknowledged that he had expected to win in the first round but described the result as a lesson from voters.

He pledged to campaign on economic development and social inclusion, and urged those who abstained in the first round to vote in the runoff.

"We have a second round, and it's time for the test, time to show the true picture of Brazil," Lula said.

He tried to encourage his supporters for what could be an uphill battle in his runoff against Bolsonaro. "Sometimes the result is unexpected. I was convinced I could get an outright victory," he said, adding, "Tomorrow we start a new campaign. People like me to be in a runoff. I am very good in the knockout stage."

"The game is on. We are now in extra time," he said.

The next presidential term begins on Jan 5, 2027.

Meanwhile, election authorities confirmed that Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of former president Jair Bolsonaro and stepmother of Flavio Bolsonaro, had won a Senate seat in the Federal District, home to the capital, Brasilia. A devout evangelical, the 44-year-old has never previously held public office.

In June, Michelle Bolsonaro had a very public falling out with her stepson, whom she accused of disrespecting her in lengthy videos posted on social media. The pair later made up.

She has called her candidacy "a mission" entrusted by her husband, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest following his conviction for an attempted coup.

XINHUA