Brazil's heated presidential election was forced into a runoff on Sunday, with right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro receiving 47.3 percent of the vote compared with 44.8 percent for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. With over 95 percent of ballots counted, neither secured the required 50 percent for outright victory. The two candidates will face each other head-on in an Oct. 25 runoff.
If Flávio Bolsonaro ousts Lula, it will mark the biggest win yet for Latin America's ascendant right and usher in an enthusiastic Trump administration ally. Lula's victory would slow the right's march across the continent and complicate Mr. Trump's plans. Analysts expect a majority of the roughly 8 percent of voters who backed third-party candidates to shift support to Bolsonaro.
About 20 percent of eligible voters abstained from voting on Sunday. Lula has framed his candidacy as a vote for democracy and the only way to bar the return of the Bolsonaro family to power. Flávio Bolsonaro has vowed to seek amnesty for his father and right-wing rioters, and to impeach Supreme Court justices.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing