Lula wins first round of presidential election in Brazil
Created: 2022-10-03Updated: 2022-10-03 02:40 AM
Presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives at the polling station in Sao Paulo.
© Marcelo Chello/AP/dpa
Brazil's democracy is facing a test: After being imprisoned for corruption, left-wing ex-president Lula could make a comeback - but rival Bolsonaro is casting doubt on the electoral system.
Brasília – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surprisingly narrowly won the first round of the presidential election in Brazil.
The left-wing ex-head of state got 47.88 percent, the right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro received 43.68 percent, as the electoral office announced after counting 97 percent of the votes.
Since none of the candidates was able to win more than 50 percent of the votes, the two strongest candidates, Lula and Bolsonaro, will go to the runoff on October 30.
Lula had recently been clearly ahead in the polls.
According to experts, many respondents did not identify their actual favorites or only decided on election day.
The election has extremely divided the largest economy in Latin America.
Lula called Bolsonaro a genocide because of his hesitant corona policy, and Bolsonaro called his opponent a thief after his conviction for corruption.
The incumbent's supporters have repeatedly openly called for a military coup.
Bolsonaro had recently cast doubt on the electoral system and indicated that he might not recognize the result.
dpa
