Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds a tight lead over his populist rival Jair Bolsonaro in the first round of voting in Brazil’s general election.
With around 97 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Da Silva, commonly known as Lula, had received 47.9 per cent, while incumbent Mr Bolsonaro received 43.66 per cent.
With neither of the two leading candidates reaching over 50 per cent of the vote, the election will now enter a second round run-off on 30 October.
The results took longer than people anticipated on Sunday evening, with reports of long queues at voting booths.
It was also a far tighter race than expected and polls, which predicted a big lead for Lula in the first round, appear to have underestimated support for Mr Bolsonaro.
A second-round vote could add to the fierce polarization and simmering political violence in Brazil. It will also be seen as a boost to Mr Bolsonaro, who was trailing Mr Da Silva by 10-15 percentage points in the polls ahead of the vote.
On Sunday, at least 120 million Brazilians went to the polls in the election that had 10 presidential candidates in total.
Left-wing former metalworker and union leader da Silva and far-right retired military officer Mr Bolsonaro were the clear frontrunners.
Mr Da Silva, who was president from 2003 to 2010, was jailed during the last election in 2018 and was unable to run against Mr Bolsonaro, although opinion polls had indicated that he could have won.
He was banned from running over a corruption and money laundering conviction, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Mr Da Silva served 19 months before the conviction was annulled by the Supreme Court on the grounds that the judge colluded with prosecutors – a move that had allowed to face his rival this year.
During his campaign, Mr Bolsonaro has repeatedly cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electonic voting system, prompting fears he may refuse to accept defeat.
Political economist Filipe Campante reacted to the news of the first-round results, saying: “Make no mistake about it, the odds look substantially bleaker for Brazilian democracy right now than they did 24 hours ago.
“Bolsonaro will have a real shot at winning the run-off, and in that case we are in deep trouble.”
Additional reporting by Reuters.
Supporters of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shout slogans as waiting for results at the end of the general election day
Mr Da Silva will now face Mr Bolsonaro in a second round run-off
