Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed confidence that he will win the runoff against his conservative rival Flavio Bolsonaro after coming second in the first round of the presidential election. The vote between the two will be held on October 25.
“The game is just beginning. Now we are in overtime and that is where we will convince the Brazilian people“, said the 80-year-old Lula in a speech to his supporters in Sao Paulo. He admitted that the result was “unexpected“, as he had expected to win in the first round.
“Tomorrow we start a new campaign. We will see who has the better plan“, the president said. According to the Associated Press, Flavio Bolsonaro received just over 56 million votes to Lula's 53.7 million, with 99.8 percent of ballots counted. Neither candidate reached the majority needed to win in the first round.
Bolsonaro declares 'end of era' for left
Flavio Bolsonaro made a statement to the media and supporters outside his home in Brasilia. Among those present were people wearing yellow-and-green Brazilian national team jerseys and a woman wrapped in an Israeli flag.
"Brazil wants change. That's the conclusion of what happened today," Bolsonaro said. "This is the end of the era of the Workers' Party," he added, referring to Lula's political strength.
The two candidates will have three weeks to woo moderate voters who did not support them in the first round. Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos, who received a combined total of about 5.3 million votes, have already announced that they will not support either candidate in the runoff.
Vote to set Brazil's course
The winner will take over Latin America's largest economy and a country of about 214 million people. According to the Associated Press, a Bolsonaro victory would strengthen US influence in the region, while under a new mandate for Lula, Brazil is expected to maintain distance from Washington and deepen its relations with China.
In the campaign before the second round, Lula is likely to emphasize his social policies, which provide him with stable support among some voters. He is also expected to raise the issue of his rival's legal problems. Flavio Bolsonaro will seek to turn the lead from the first round into support for a final victory on October 25.
Sources: BTA