Brazil's presidential election

"A victory for Bolsonaro is a victory for Trump"

Neither Flávio Bolsonaro nor Lula da Silva secured over 50 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, meaning Brazil is heading to a runoff.

Many analysts and experts view Brazil as a test case for Latin America’s shift to the right and Trump’s growing influence. Al Jazeera links these developments to Trump’s "Monroe Doctrine," while *The Guardian*’s Steve Bloomfield writes: "If he wins, Trump wins—and then the entire hemisphere becomes his."

SVT News and SR highlight the role of social media and tech companies as part of the US influence on the election. Meanwhile, Latin America expert Edme Dominguez points to Brazil’s critical minerals, suggesting that a Bolsonaro victory could grant US companies greater access to them.

According to *The Guardian* and CNN, this success is not solely about Trump; crime and insecurity are also driving the rightward shift in Latin America.

Bolsonaro wins most votes – heads to runoff

None of the candidates secured more than 50 percent of the vote in the Brazilian presidential election, meaning the contest will be decided in a runoff later this month, *O Globo* reports.

The two most popular candidates from Sunday’s election—Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva—will face off in that round.

Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, won the first round by garnering 47.2 percent of the vote. Incumbent president Lula da Silva received 44.9 percent.

The election runoff will be held on October 25. 

Brazil's presidential election heading for a runoff

Brazil's presidential election is heading toward a second, decisive round. This is the forecast made by the Brazilian polling institute Datafolha shortly after midnight, according to *O Globo*.

With around two-thirds of the votes counted, right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro—son of the imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro—held 49.5 percent of the vote. Incumbent leftist president Lula da Silva had 42.2 percent. Other candidates garnered only a few percent each.

According to Datafolha's forecast, no candidate will secure more than 50 percent of the vote once all ballots are counted—a requirement for a decisive victory in the first round. Votes from the southern states, where Bolsonaro is strongest, were reported early, whereas votes from Lula's strongholds in the north are being counted more slowly.

The second and decisive round will be held in three weeks.