Brazil heads to runoff election after Bolsonaro, Lula fail to garner majority vote 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face each other in a presidential runoff on October 25 after neither secured a first-round majority. The contest pits Lula’s left-wing agenda against Bolsonaro’s conservative, Trump-aligned platform

Brasilia: Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, and Brazil’s veteran President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will face off on October 25 in a runoff for the top job of Latin America’s powerhouse economy.

The country’s electoral court in Brasilia said neither the 80-year-old incumbent, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term, nor the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro will reach the 50s% or more of the total vote needed for a first-round win.

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The runoff election will be held on Oct. 25. The next presidential term begins on Jan. 5, 2027 THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Brazilians voted Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro at a moment when the region is shifting to the right in line with the Trump administration.

Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt and an ally of US President Donald Trump. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil’s ties with Beijing.

Trump allies have fared well in recent elections in Latin America, including in Argentina, Colombia, Honduras and Peru.

If none of the 12 presidential candidates gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, the top two will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America’s economic powerhouse.

Brazil’s nearly 159 million eligible voters will also elect 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal members of the lower house of congress and 54 of the country’s 81 senators in Sunday’s vote.

Polls closed at 5 p.m. Sunday with those still in line able to vote and a count expected within hours.

Lula promises to stand up to Trump

While the once widely popular Lula saw his approval ratings plummet during his third term, standing up to the US has given him a boost. And he still enjoys a strong base of supporters who credit his social policies for improving millions of Brazilians’ lives.

The incumbent president has often spoken about risks of U.S. intervention in the Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against Brazilian exports, revoked the visa of the country’s ambassador and sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who chaired the investigation that eventually sentenced Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s predecessor.

Lula told journalists after voting Sunday that he needs “to do double of what we have done” if reelected, and expressed confidence in a first-round win.

But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro.

“Many in the Lula campaign were not expecting such a difficult election a few weeks ago, and it is clear to them that the present election is a tough battle and the next ones, without Lula, could be even more so,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo.

Bolsonaro embraces Trump alliance

Flavio Bolsonaro has touted his proximity to the White House, although he denies his campaign received help from the US government.

He has promised to crack down on Brazilian criminal groups and insisted that Brazil needs to strike better deals with the Trump administration, including in the rare minerals economy, second only to China. Bolsonaro also has campaigned on releasing his father and bringing him back to politics.

“Brazil needs change. Brazil can’t stand so much suffering,” he told reporters at the Rio de Janeiro voting center, where he cast his vote Sunday.

The senator faces his own challenges. He has seen his political career tainted by several corruption accusations, including receiving millions of dollars from a disgraced banker to allegedly produce a movie on his father’s life.

Voters choose between incumbent or return to right

Rosane Wink, 67, a retired engineer, is a lifelong conservative voter who supports Bolsonaro and his promise to classify criminal groups as terrorist organizations.

“It’s a kind of terrorism that they’re doing with us,” said Wink as she voted in Rio de Janeiro. Last month she had a gun held to her stomach as a criminal bit her hand and removed her wedding ring, she said.

Maria Ribeiro, a 50-year-old cellphone vendor from Brasilia, said she voted for Bolsonaro because she wants freedom to express her Evangelical religion. She hopes he follows in his father’s footsteps.

“I voted for his father, and I don’t regret it,” she said.

Rosangela Resende da Rocha, a 69-year-old who was previously a stay-at-home mom, said she supported Lula’s social policies that help the “less fortunate” and how he stands up to Trump.