Brasília: A woman casts her vote, accompanied by her dog displaying a pro-Lula sticker on its protective dog collar, as Brazilians head to the polls in a knife-edge race between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. The first round of voting has now concluded without either leading candidate securing the majority needed to win the presidency outright. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Brazil’s incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face off in a runoff on Oct. 25 for the top job of Latin America’s powerhouse economy after neither won a majority in Sunday's vote.Neither the 80-year-old incumbent, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term, nor the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro garnered the majority vote needed for an outright win. The court had Bolsonaro with just over 56 million votes to Lula’s 53.7 million, with 99.8 per cent of the vote reported. The next presidential term is set to begin Jan. 5. The winner will be in charge of Latin America’s biggest economy and a population of 214 million.If Lula wins, Brazil will keep its distance from Washington and continue to deepen its relationship with China.
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