Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (known as "Lula") may have come out ahead with 48.4 percent of the vote in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday, but the winner of the night might still be incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. With 43.2 percent of the ballot, the far-right leader comfortably beat pre-election polls and is now on course to face off with his leftist rival in a nail-biting run-off that few observers saw coming.
In the final run-up to the election, and after two months of tense campaigning in a deeply polarized Brazil, Lula’s supporters were swept up with enthusiasm after poll after poll predicted he would easily win the presidency. Their confidence grew even further after a last-minute survey – published on the eve of the vote – indicated that the former president could win the first-round vote outright.
