Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections on Sunday, Reuters reported. Bolsonaro, who received 46% of votes, will face leftist candidate Fernando Haddad in the second round on October 28.
Haddad secured 29% of votes in the first round. A candidate needs 50% or more to win the elections outright.
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro’s supporters protested outside the national electoral tribunal in Brasilia, claiming fraud in the polls, AFP reported. In his victory speech, Bolsonaro, the candidate of Social Liberal Party, told citizens to take the “path of prosperity, liberty, family on God’s side”. He also echoed Trump when he called on his social media followers to “make Brazil great”. “Let us be proud of our homeland once again,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.
The 63-year-old is a former Army captain whose divisive comments have drawn the ire of liberals and increased his support among right-wing voters. In September, Bolsonaro was stabbed during a rally in Minas Gerais by a man who was said to be “mentally ill”.
He is scheduled to face trial in the Supreme Court for allegedly inciting hate and rape. Bolsonaro has promised to encourage police to kill suspected drug gang members and other armed criminals with abandon if elected to power and has gone on record to praise Brazil’s history of military dictatorship.
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