Breaking: Bolsonaro defies expectations in Brazil presidential vote to face Lula in run-off

Flávio Bolsonaro faces Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazilian presidential vote run-offPosted Mon 5 Oct 2026 at 12:07pmMon 5 Oct 2026 at 12:07pm, updated Mon 5 Oct 2026 at 12:30pmMon 5 Oct 2026 at 12:30pmFlávio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of Donald Trump. (Reuters: Pilar Olivares)Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro, has finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the country's election, which will go to a run-off in three weeks.In a surprise result that defied opinion poll projections showing Mr Lula in the lead, Mr Bolsonaro scored 47 per cent of the vote to the incumbent's 45 per cent.If Mr Bolsonaro triumphs in the October 25 election, Brazil will be the latest country in Latin America to swing to the right, a trend championed by US President Donald Trump.The election results included a series of landslide wins for the right in parliament, a major setback for Mr Lula, who, at almost 81, is seeking a fourth term to cement his legacy.The veteran leftist branded the vote a battle between democracy and "barbarism," warning voters that Brazil's sovereignty was at stake in the face of US pressure.Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, was little known nationally before his jailed father anointed him as his political heir, and he had never expressed ambition to follow in his footsteps.However, his father's powerful name won over the country's conservative base, and he slid past Mr Lula despite a campaign marked by scandals and mudslinging.Voters in the deeply polarised nation were left jaded by familiar choices, and few voted with conviction.Oscarina de Oliveira, a 62-year-old caregiver, told AFP she had planned to vote for Mr Lula, as she always has, but switched to Mr Bolsonaro when she got to the polls."Just to see what happens, to see if anything changes," she said.Both candidates will have three weeks to reach moderate voters who did not support them in the first round.Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos, two candidates who garnered about 5.3 million votes combined on Sunday, local time, have previously said they would not endorse either in the run-off.AFP/AP