Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva failed to secure the simple majority needed for victory in the first round and will face current President Jair Bolsonaro in the run-off on Oct. 30.
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Brazilians also elected all 513 lower house representatives and 27 senators, a third of the 81 members that comprise the upper chamber. The nation’s congress is notoriously fragmented, with dozens of political parties represented. The balance of power between groups, which includes conservatives, leftists and an all powerful establishment known as centrao — will be key to determining the political strength of the elected president and the fate of their economic agenda.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010. The left-wing former union leader, 76, rode a commodities boom and left office as one of the country’s most popular politicians ever, but saw his star fade as the economy collapsed under his successor’s watch and he was jailed amid a massive corruption probe. His convictions were later tossed out on procedural grounds, allowing him to return to politics.
Jair Bolsonaro, 67, was elected in a landslide in 2018, surfing an anti-corruption wave and promising to put an end to “old politics.” His administration managed to approve a long-delayed reform of Brazil’s burdensome pension system, though the president is likely best-known abroad for bashing developed countries for criticism on his environmental policies and openly opposing measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic.
While there were many contenders for the presidency, it’s been a two-man race from the start. Other candidates failed to attract voter support, with several dropping early on – including Sergio Moro, the judge ahead of the investigation that put Lula in jail turned Bolsonaro justice minister and later foe, and ex-Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria. Ciro Gomes and Simone Tebet, who poll third and fourth, respectively, have little more than 10% of voter intentions combined.
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