Lula and Bolsonaro to Face Off in Brazil Runoff

Brazil’s presidential election is headed to an October 25 runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro after neither candidate secured the majority needed to win outright, according to the country’s electoral authority. The winner will lead Latin America’s largest economy, with the next presidential term scheduled to begin January 5. Preliminary results put Bolsonaro ahead of Lula, but published tallies differed. One account of the electoral court’s count, with 99.8% of votes reported, gave Bolsonaro just over 56 million votes and Lula 53.7 million. Another preliminary tally put Bolsonaro at 55.8 million and Lula at nearly 53.2 million. The sources do not establish a single reconciled total, and the runoff outcome remains unknown. The candidates now have three weeks to seek support from voters whose first-round choices did not advance. Bolsonaro, 45, has emphasized affordability, crime and closer cooperation with the Trump administration. Lula, 80, has highlighted social programs and his approach to relations with the United States.