Flavio Bolsonaro Wins Endorsements From Right-Wing Rivals Ahead of Brazil Runoff Against Lula
After leading Brazil's first round with about 47% of valid votes, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro collected endorsements from two eliminated right-wing candidates on Monday as he heads into an October 25 runoff against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro picked up endorsements from two former first-round rivals on Monday, a day after finishing first in Brazil’s presidential vote and advancing to an October 25 runoff against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Ronaldo Caiado, a former governor of Goiás state who took 2.18% of valid votes on Sunday, and Romeu Zema, a former governor of Minas Gerais who took 0.27%, both backed Bolsonaro for the second round, according to Reuters. Two other eliminated candidates, Augusto Cury and Renan Santos, said they would endorse neither finalist.
A stronger-than-expected first round
Bolsonaro, 45, led Sunday’s first round with about 47% of valid votes, ahead of Lula’s roughly 44.9%, with nearly all ballots counted, Brazil’s electoral authority reported. Neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold needed to win outright, sending the race to a runoff on October 25. Pre-election surveys had generally forecast Lula in first place.
The result extends a run of strong showings by right-wing candidates across Latin America. Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of plotting a coup following his 2022 election loss. Lula, 80, of the Workers’ Party, is seeking a fourth term in office.
Congress shifts right as well
Sunday’s vote also reshaped Brazil’s Congress, where all 513 lower-house seats and two-thirds of the 81-seat Senate were renewed. The Liberal Party emerged as the largest single party in both chambers, rising to 28 Senate seats and a projected 121 seats in the lower house, according to Reuters. Allied center-right parties were projected to hold a comfortable combined majority, a result that would ease the path for a Bolsonaro agenda, including his stated aim of an amnesty for his father.
The three-week runoff campaign is expected to turn on the cost of living, public security and corruption, the themes that dominated the first round. The winner’s term is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2027.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and CNN.
