Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula head to runoff in Brazil's presidential election

Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and leftist incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have advanced to a second-round runoff in Brazil's presidential election, the country's superior electoral court confirmed.

Bolsonaro led Lula with 47.27 percent of votes compared with 44.88 percent for the leftist incumbent, with 98.64 percent of electronic ballot boxes counted.

The official projection confirms that neither contender can surpass the 50 per cent threshold of valid votes required to secure an outright first-round victory, sending Latin America's largest democracy into a polarised three-week campaign ahead of the October 25 decider.

Lula said his first-round election setback against Flavio Bolsonaro was "unexpected," but vowed to come back stronger in a run-off in three weeks.

"I admit I was convinced I would win in the first round. The game is about to start. We are in extra time. In extra time, we will win over the Brazilian people," the 80-year-old said.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro said he was "very happy" to have led incumbent Lula in the first-round presidential vote.

"I am very happy with the real possibility that, three weeks from now, Brazil will give a definitive answer by choosing a modern government," the senator said ahead of the second round on October 25.

High turnout

More than 158.7 million voters were eligible to take part in Sunday's nationwide poll, which also decided crucial races for state governors, the Federal Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies.

Voting stations officially closed across Brazil at 5:00 pm Brasília time (20:00 GMT), though electoral officials permitted citizens already queueing at precincts to cast their ballots.

Ballot counting began immediately upon the close of polls, with electronic tallies transmitted directly from secure voting machines and continuously aggregated into the national tally.

The contest pits Lula against Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, amidst severe ideological polarisation and ongoing investigations into alleged foreign interference.

Source: TRT