Flavio Bolsonaro leads Lula as Brazil election heads to runoff

The right-wing senator has nearly 50% of the vote with almost two-thirds of polling stations reporting Brazil’s presidential election is headed to a runoff, with right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, leading incumbent left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.With 88% of polling stations reporting, Bolsonaro had received 48.19% of the vote, compared with Lula’s 43.81%, according to the official tally.Under Brazilian election rules, a presidential candidate must secure more than 50% of valid votes to win in the first round. With neither Bolsonaro nor Lula reaching that threshold, the two will face each other in a runoff on October 25.The election is widely seen as a highly polarized contest over Brazil’s political direction, pitting Lula’s left-wing agenda against Bolsonaro’s conservative platform, which emphasizes tougher measures against crime and the protection of “traditional values.”The vote also presents a foreign-policy choice, as Lula has sought to strengthen Brazil’s role in BRICS and deepen ties with China and other Global South powers, while Bolsonaro has emphasized closer relations with Washington and touted his ties to US Presi...