As it happened: Bolsonaro's performance in Brazil presidential election sets stage for a runoff

Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro warned voters that "a change could be worse" in Brazil, after his second-place standing against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday (October 2) that will see the country head to a run-off election.

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro claimed victory over the "lie" of opinion polls that had placed him a distant second in elections Sunday. He fared much better than predicted, forcing a runoff.

"We beat the lie today," said Bolsonaro of the Datafolha polling institute, which ahead of the vote gave him 36 per cent of valid votes to 50 per cent for leftist front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula ended up on 48.4 per cent and Bolsonaro 43.3 per cent with 99.8 percent of polling station results in.

Brazil's veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, facing an October 30 presidential runoff against far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, says he will win the elections after failing to achieve an outright win in the first election round.

Brazil's bitterly divisive presidential election will go to a runoff on October 30, electoral authorities said Sunday, as incumbent Jair Bolsonaro beat expectations to finish a relatively close second to front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula, the veteran leftist seeking a presidential comeback, had 47.9 percent of the vote to 43.7 percent for the far-right president with 97.2 percent of polling stations reporting, according to official results from the Superior Electoral Tribunal, which said on its website a second round was now "mathematically defined."

Image: Brazil's former President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greets supporters after casting his vote during the presidential election, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil October 2, 2022. Image Credit: Reuters 

Brazil vote goes to runoff as Bolsonaro finishes close second to Lula. 

The election authority started reporting the initial results of the country's presidential election, in which leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva aims to unseat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. 

If no candidate wins over half of the votes, excluding blank and spoiled ballots, the top two go to an Oct. 30 run-off. 

Meanwhile, Reuters repoted that Brazil's presidential election appeared to be heading for an October 30 run-off, as Bolsonaro's strong initial showing seemed to have ended leftist Lula da Silva's hopes of a first-round victory.

There were reports of long lines at voting stations that closed at 5 pm (2000 GMT) as many Brazilians turned out to vote in a tense election, punctuated by isolated violence and fears over a sharp uptick in gun ownership under Bolsonaro.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took an early lead in the initial tally of the country's presidential election on Sunday, ahead of challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose Workers Party draws more support from regions that are slower to report. 

With 20% of electronic voting machines counted, Bolsonaro was ahead with 48% of the votes against 43% for Lula, the national electoral authority said on its website. 

People gather at a bar to watch early results of the presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 2, 2022. 

Brazil's electoral authorities began counting votes in the first round of the election, with leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva favored to beat right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. 

With only 0.2% of electronic voting machines counted, Lula and Bolsonaro both had about 44% of votes, the national electoral authority said on its website.

Polls closed in Brazil Sunday, with results expected within hours in the polarized presidential race that pitted leftist front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

More than 156 million Brazilians were eligible to cast a ballot in the first round of voting which will go to a runoff on October 30 if no candidate takes more than 50 percent on Sunday. Those still in line by polls closing at 5:00 pm (2000 GMT) will be allowed to complete their vote, officials said.