Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro has topped the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, after a bitter campaign that has caused deep divisions across the country.
However, the 63-year-old did not reach the 50% threshhold needed to secure outright victory from a field of 13 candidates and will face off against left-wing Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad in a second-round run-off vote on 28 October.
Bolsonaro, who claimed 46% of the vote to Haddad’s 29%, will go into the contest as a clear favourite, the BBC reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Following the ballot, Bolsonaro blamed unspecified “problems” with the electronic voting system used in Brazil for his failure to gain an outright majority.
“I am certain that if this hadn't happened, we would have known the name of the president of the republic tonight,” he told supporters.
Support for the tough-on-crime nationalist soared after he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in the city of Juiz de Fora last month, an incident CNN says “seemed to symbolize the uncharted territory into which the election was heading”.
Casting his vote on Sunday, Bolsonaro was surrounded by a heavy security presence, and was reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest.
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Is the US in recession?Today's Big Question ‘Unofficial signals’ are flashing red
-
What is Donald Trump planning in Latin America?Today’s Big Question US ramps up feud with Colombia over drug trade, while deploying military in the Caribbean to attack ships and increase tensions with Venezuela
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Brazilian ‘bandit bill’ prompts mass protests over potential Bolsonaro pardonIN THE SPOTLIGHT Efforts to evade consequences for an attempted coup and civic unrest have pushed thousands into the streets
-
Passing sentence in Brazil: the jailing of Jair BolsonaroIn the Spotlight In convicting Brazil’s former president, its Supreme Court has sent a powerful message about democratic accountability – but the victory may be only temporary
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
