Brazilian electoral authorities say vote will go to second round

In Brazil, the presidential race will go on to a runoff after first-round results showed on Sunday that the two front runners failed to receive over 50 percent of the votes. Brazilian electoral authorities in a statement said that the vote will go to a second round after former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva got 48.4 per cent of the vote, while incumbent Jair Bolsonaro got 43.2 per cent.

Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest democracy and the two main candidates represent two ends of the political spectrum. Earlier, opinion polls had put Lula da Silva in the lead for months. According to media reports, Bolsanaro, a far-right leader, came to power in 2018, promising to clean up politics and lift the economy. However, Lula da Silva, a leftist leader who was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, was credited with implementing extensive social programs that helped lift millions into the middle class.