Brazil Heads For Runoff Vote With President Bolsonaro Trailing

Brazil entered the final stretch of a deeply polarized presidential race Monday after an inconclusive first voting round put far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in an unexpectedly strong position.

Brazil entered the final stage of a highly polarized presidential race on Monday after an inconclusive first round of voting put right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in an unexpectedly strong position.

Bolsonaro, 67, took 43 percent of the first-round vote on Sunday compared to 48 percent for left-wing frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - five

The point spread that polls predicted would be a much larger 14 point gap.

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Ex-president Lula, 76, appeared within reach to run in the first round with more than 50 percent of the vote - but the race is now heading into a run-off on October 30.

Not only did Bolsonaro exceed expectations: many allies of "God,

The brand of conservative politics has also outperformed poll predictions in congressional and state governor races.

She signaled enthusiasm for the far-right leader and his policies despite Bolsonaro's controversial four-year term, marked by a horrific epidemic death toll partly blamed on his skeptical approach to Covid,

Increased destruction of the Amazon rainforest, sharp rise in the numbers of Brazilians living in hunger.

The Sao Paulo Stock Exchange welcomed first-round results in Latin America's largest economy, with a rise of more than four percent Monday morning.

'The fight continues'

Both men declared they were ready for the final campaign to attract the votes of the nearly nine million Brazilians who voted for minority candidates—none of whom managed to achieve a 5% approval rating—and another 31 million who didn't vote at all. .

Lola

Who wasted no time in inviting his campaign team to a strategic meeting on Monday, said: "We will have to convince Brazilian society of what we are proposing."

The left-wing icon, addressing his stunned supporters in Sao Paulo on Sunday, said he would start his campaign without delay, with more meetings with voters.

Lula said he looks forward to discussing Bolsonaro head-on to "see if he continues to lie," and promised his supporters: "The fight continues until the final victory!"

For his part, Bolsonaro tweeted: "We got more votes in the first round than in 2018 (when he won the presidency) - nearly 2 million votes."

He added: "Thank God, I did not lose any elections, and I know that we will not lose this time."

Analysts say Bolsonaro's performance is foreshadowing four weeks before the vote.

The incumbent has repeatedly sought to discredit Brazil's electronic voting system and questioned the veracity of opinion polls, which put him in second place.

Now, he can argue that Sunday's results confirm his claims.

"brave"

Bolsonaro's speech sparked fears he could unleash a Brazilian version of last year's riots at the US Capitol after former President Donald Trump refused to accept his election defeat.

Michael Schifter of the Center for American Dialogue Research said Bolsonaro would be "very encouraged" by Sunday's election performance.

"Exceeded expectations...

He will play on the premise that the experts were wrong: "I have the momentum and will defy expectations again in the second round."

Emotions will be high on both sides.

Bolsonaro now has "an extra month to cause street disruption,

Political scientist Guilherme Casaros of the Getulio Vargas Foundation's Sao Paulo School of Business told AFP.

“Any kind of doubt he casts on the electoral system will work in his favour… laying off voters for not going to vote Lola” - who left office after two terms in 2010 with an unprecedented number 87-

The approval rating is one percent, and he is credited with helping to lift 30 million people out of poverty.

Analysts say Bolsonaro will continue to strike at Lula's flaws, including his corruption convictions -

Since it was abolished in court, but not in the court of public opinion.

"Lola's chances of being elected seem much lower," Casaros said.

As for Bolsonaro, it now looks like he can "make this a competition," said Shifter.

"Instead of a great comeback (Lola) could be a big surprise."

Voter Mateus Alcantara, 26, said in Rio de Janeiro that his country is experiencing a moment of "enormous polarization"

BY
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