Flávio Bolsonaro leads first-round presidential vote, runoff against Lula set for October 25
The Guardian’s First Thing newsletter reported that Bolsonarista candidates posted an even stronger-than-expected showing in down-ballot races on Sunday, with a succession of Bolsonarista politicians winning congressional or gubernatorial seats across the country.
The Guardian described Flávio Bolsonaro as the strong favorite to win the runoff against Lula. The 45-year-old eldest son of the former president is likely to pick up votes from the election’s other rightwing candidates, including Ronaldo Caiado, who secured 2.1%, and Renan Santos, who won 2.2%.
The wider Bolsonarista movement’s down-ballot success included immediate family members of the former president. The Guardian reported that Jair Bolsonaro’s second son, Carlos Bolsonaro, and his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, both won seats in the Brazilian Senate. Bolsonaro’s youngest son, Jair Renan Bolsonaro, was elected to the lower house of Congress.
The congressional wins place three members of the immediate Bolsonaro family in Brazil’s national legislature at the same moment the family seeks to return to the presidency through the eldest son’s candidacy. The Guardian referred to Jair Bolsonaro as the “disgraced former president.”
In the presidential race, Flávio Bolsonaro finished first but failed to secure the outright majority he needed to avoid a runoff. The second round will take place on October 25. Flávio Bolsonaro is the presidential candidate for the rightwing Liberal Party.
The Guardian’s reporting focused on how Bolsonarista politicians have taken a grip on Brazil through down-ballot victories, even as the presidential contest moves to a second round between the eldest Bolsonaro son and the incumbent leftist president.