Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, beat incumbent leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of the presidential election, which took place on October 4.
Reuters writes about this.
With almost all votes counted, Bolsonaro had 47%, while Lula da Silva had 45%. Before the election, polls had predicted a lead of about three percentage points for Lula, so Bolsonaroʼs result was a surprise.
“Brazil wants change and I am very happy with the result,” the senator said after the preliminary results were reported. He called the election “the end of an era” for the leftist Workers’ Party, led by Lula da Silva.
Lula admitted after the vote that he had expected to win in the first round. Now he has urged supporters to prepare for a new campaign and promised to remind voters of his achievements as president. The second round of the election will be held on October 25.
The election came amid growing dissatisfaction among Brazilians with the high cost of living, high public debt, corruption and crime. Despite falling unemployment and inequality, Lula has failed to convince some voters who believe the countryʼs economy is growing too slowly.
Bolsonaro has capitalized on this sentiment in his campaign. His unexpectedly strong showing has already had a positive impact on Brazilʼs stock markets and currency, as businesses perceive him as a more pro-economy candidate.
Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of Jair Bolsonaro, who led Brazil from 2019 to 2022. The former president is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election.
In the second round, Flavio Bolsonaro will try to attract voters from other right-wing candidates who dropped out of the race. However, political analysts note that a significant portion of the protest vote already went to him in the first round, so his potential for further growth may be limited.
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