Senator Flavio Bolsonaro took an early lead as Brazil began reporting results on Sunday afternoon in the first round of a tight presidential election, following a campaign dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of US meddling.
The field of 13 candidates has been led by two clear frontrunners — leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, who is seeking a fourth term, and Flavio, the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who hopes to return his father’s right-wing movement to power.
With about 32 per cent of votes reported, Flavio led Lula with 50.74 per cent of the votes to the president’s 41.14 per cent.
Early results showed southern states that lean to Bolsonaro reporting faster, while votes from Lula’s northeast stronghold are tallied slower.
If no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of valid votes, the top two will face off on October 25. Surveys show Lula and Flavio polling roughly even in a likely runoff.
