Brazil Presidential Election First Round: 1st Place in São PauloLula

Even South America's big brother joins the Blue Tide? Pro-Trump candidate defeats Lula to take first place.

Flávio Bolsonaro Surges Past Lula, Setting Up a Bitter Brazil Election Runoff - WSJ

"The electorate went to the polls out of a sense of duty, not hope." The first round of the presidential elections took place in Brazil: reactions from the world media O Estado de S. Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil): "Brazilians have made it clear they are growing tired of Lula da Silva's Workers' Party. It's already clear that the electorate's desires are shifting... Now, Flávio and Lula are expected to debate their ideas so voters can determine which of the two is more capable of implementing change. But the campaign leading up to the first round of elections offers little cause for optimism... Almost nothing has been heard about what either of them intends to do once they take power in January. Both relied more on voters' fear of a possible victory than on confidence in their own proposals. As if being less disliked than the loser is enough to be considered a good leader. As a result, voters went to the polls more out of a sense of duty than hope, choosing the one they considered the lesser evil... The runoff opens a new opportunity to fundamentally change the discussion about the country's direction. The candidates should use this opportunity to finally talk about the future. Brazil's problems are enormous, but so is its people's desire to solve them—if, of course, they are wisely led, as history shows." The Wall Street Journal (New York, USA): This result—along with significant conservative victories in the simultaneous congressional and state elections—underscored the strength of Brazil's right-wing sentiment, which none of the major polls had been able to capture... In recent years, Brazil's right-wing has gained ground, fueled by outrage over rampant street crime, the growing political influence of evangelical Christians, and dissatisfaction among businesses and the middle class with tax policy, government spending, and the left's management of the economy... The current election campaign has become one of the most bitter in the history of democracy in Brazil. Neither Lula da Silva nor Bolsonaro participated in televised debates, discussion of political platforms was relegated to the background, and the campaign itself devolved into personal attacks and accusations of treason, pedophilia, and blasphemy. Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Munich, Bavaria): "The right is winning, and the incumbent president is heading into the runoff battered. Still considering oneself indispensable after three terms isn't a good sign for the country's future. This is a choice one can't envy. Since Brazilians failed to secure a majority vote on a new president on Sunday, a runoff is coming. The choice is between an 80-year-old whose face has loomed large in local politics for nearly half a century. And a far-right candidate whose father planned a coup." The Straits Times (Singapore, Singapore): "Contrary to pollsters' predictions that Lula would lead, Flávio Bolsonaro won 47% of the vote, while the incumbent president received 45%... If Bolsonaro wins the October 25 elections, Latin America's largest country will join the region's decisive shift to the right, a course actively supported by the US president... Donald Trump has stated that he is closely following the elections, but has not officially endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro's candidacy." Follow Kommersant on MAX | Telegram

Bolsonaro leads Lula da Silva in the first round of the Brazilian presidential election with 47% of the vote; runoff election to be held on October 25.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva comments on the right-wing candidate's lead over him in the first round of elections

An "unexpected" result in the first round of the presidential election in Brazil: Flávio Bolsonaro overtakes Lula in a deeply polarized country