Lula and Bolsonaro face a run-off in Brazil election.

Brazil’s election is going into a second round in which left-wing Luiz  Inácio Lula da Silva who had won 48 % will face far-right Jair Bolsonaro’s 43%. Lula fell short of the more than 50% of valid votes needed to prevent a. run-off and triggering voting again on 30^th October 2022. The last time a candidate won outright 51 % was 24 years ago. Lula could not run in the 2018 election because he was in prison after being convicted on corruption charges. In the last TV debate before the vote, President Bolsonaro called Lula a thief, in reference to the corruption charges that put him in jail or 580 days before the conviction was annulled. Lula has labelled Mr. Bolsonaro a madman who argued that parts of the rainforest should be opened up to economic exploitation. Deforestation and forest fires have soared during President Bolsonaro’s time in office. Climate activists have warned that if he is re-elected, the area could reach a tipping point. But Bolsonaro is counting on the agricultural sector and agribusiness for votes and support, it is Lula who is the preferred choice of climate activists. In Brazil, rising prices have contributed to high levels of inequality and increased poverty and hunger.

Much of the concern was that Mr. Bolsonaro may not accept defeat after he had said that “only God” could remove him from office and doubted Brazil’s electronic voting system alleging without providing any evidence that it was open to fraud.

While Bolsonaro will concentrate on swaying those voters who cast their ballot for one of the other candidates who were eliminated in the first round, Lula announced “ The fight continues until the final victory, that’s our motto”.