Brazil’s far-right contender leads presidential vote

Far-right Brazilian lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro secured more votes than his opponent in Sunday’s presidential election but not enough to avoid a runoff. With 99 percent of ballots counted, Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote, while leftist Fernando Haddad garnered 29 percent. Bolsonaro and Haddad will face each other in a runoff on Oct. 28. Bolsonaro’s far-right Social Liberal Party promised to crack down on crime and corruption and push back on gun control. His popularity increased after he was stabbed during a rally on Sept. 6. He also drew negative attention over racist comments and violent statements targeting his opposition.

“This was a great victory, considering we had no television time, a party that is still very small with no campaign money, and I was in hospital for 30 days,” Bolsonaro said in a live streamed video. “We have to believe in our Brazil.”

Haddad’s campaign began just a month ago when he replaced Workers’ Party candidate Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, who served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011 and recently received a 12-year prison sentence on fraud charges.