Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face President Luiz Inacio ⁠Lula da Silva in the runoff of a presidential election, the country's electoral authority said on Sunday.

With just over 97 percent of ⁠the ballots counted, the right-wing challenger took 47.5 percent of valid votes in the first round, beating the forecasts in most private surveys.

Leftist Lula received 44.7 percent of ⁠the votes.

The two leading candidates will advance to the second round of voting on October 25, after beating out a field of 12 candidates.

Flavio, 45, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro who hopes to return his father's right-wing movement to power.

Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth term, following a campaign dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of US meddling.

Analysts told Reuters they believed Flavio had received "protest votes" of people voting against Lula rather than for the right-wing senator – votes they had been expected to save until a second round.

A victory for the senator would extend a wave of wins across Latin America by right-wing candidates aligned with US President Donald Trump, while Lula's re-election could create a headache for Washington, which has clashed with his government over trade and security.

Despite growing worries over Brazil's public finances and sluggish economic growth, the campaign offered meagre policy debate, as both leading candidates skipped the major TV debates.

While polls right up until Saturday showed Lula would likely lead the first round but not avoid a runoff, Flavio told journalists in Rio de Janeiro he was confident he could win the presidency in the first round, citing voters' frustration with his chief opponent.

Flavio was counting on "a protest vote from people who would otherwise vote for another candidate but are opposed to Lula," he said. "I hope it's enough to secure a victory in the first round."

Thaise Lima, a 41-year-old lawyer on her way to vote in Sao Paulo, said her main goal was to get Lula's Workers' Party out of office.

"I don't think Flavio is the best candidate, but I might decide to vote for him in the next few minutes," she said.

Fernando Tempel, 49, a management consultant, told Reuters he was voting for Flavio despite initially planning to vote for Romeu Zema, the former governor of Minas Gerais state.

Lula's allies have warned that the Trump administration might refuse to recognise election results if he wins, pointing to an aborted effort to send US officials to Brazil.

"What is at stake is the future of Brazil," Lula said after voting in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in Sao Paulo state.

Trump has not formally endorsed a candidate, though he hosted Senator Flavio Bolsonaro at the White House and praised him publicly.

"I'm a little worried about everything that's been happening recently, including internationally. I feel this election has had a lot of outside influence, more than in previous elections," said Cristiano, 34, a doctor in Brasilia who voted for Lula and preferred to withhold his surname.

"We are confident in our President Lula, who will fight for national sovereignty," said Pedro Palacio, 45, who was voting in Brasilia alongside his wife, Andreia, and their two sons and two dogs, all of whom wore outfits supporting the president.

Despite falling inequality and unemployment, Lula has struggled to win over voters grappling with high living costs, heavy household debt and the threat of street crime and more pervasive gang activity.

Flavio Bolsonaro has sought to capitalise on cost-of-living concerns, while Lula has moved to ban online gambling and, as the race tightened, expanded welfare and proposed fresh debt relief for families.

Rising spending and public debt above 82 percent of GDP have stoked fiscal concerns that Brazil's next president will need to address. The government lowered its economic growth forecasts for this year and next to 2.0 percent and 2.3 percent respectively. (Reuters)



Edited by Cecil Wong