Brazil’s Presidential Election Heads to Run-off

Votes go against predictions by most polling firms.

Brazil’s first round of voting has taken an unexpected turn after President, Jair Bolsonaro, received a higher percentage of votes as compared to what had been predicted by most polling firms. An election run-off can be defined as a system by which elections continue until one candidate receives a majority vote.

The results of the first round of voting, which were 43.7% to 47.9% in favor of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, helped to legitimize President Bolsonaro’s claims that the Brazilian election system has been corrupted.

Although former President Lula reassured the media that he would win the presidential elections, far-right President Bolsonaro still remains a top contender with a strong enough backing to win the election.

Some analysts say that the recent results could throw the country into violence.