Brazil Heads to Presidential Runoff as Neither Candidate Secures Majority

Brazil's presidential election is headed for a runoff after neither left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nor Trump ally Flávio Bolsonaro secured the necessary majority in Sunday's vote. The electoral court in Brasilia reported that Bolsonaro received 56 million votes to Lula’s 53.7 million, with 99.8 percent of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press.

The undecided vote means the candidates will face each other again in a runoff election scheduled for October 25.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been a notable ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump's administration had previously sought to prevent Jair Bolsonaro's imprisonment following an attempted coup and had threatened tariffs on Brazilian imports. A victory for Flávio Bolsonaro could expand U.S. influence in South America, while Lula has indicated a desire to strengthen ties with countries like China.

The winner of the election will assume leadership of Latin America's largest economy and its population of 214 million people, taking office on January 5.

Following the announcement of the runoff, Flávio Bolsonaro addressed supporters, stating, "Brazil wants change, that’s the reading of what happened today. It’s the end of the Workers’ Party era." Lula acknowledged the unexpected nature of the runoff, announcing, "Tomorrow we start a new campaign. I am very good in the knockout stage. We will see who has the best plan."

Both candidates now have three weeks to campaign for the votes of those who did not support them in the first round. Third-place finisher Augusto Cury, who garnered 3.4 million votes, has stated he will not endorse either candidate. Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos, who collectively received 5.3 million votes, have also withheld their endorsements.

According to the Associated Press, Brazil's electronic voting system, implemented in the 1990s, has not experienced significant fraud.