With votes being counted in Brazil following the presidential election on Sunday, populist Senator Flavio Bolsonaro was leading the race ahead of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro seeks to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, while Lula is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term.

With more than 99% of the ballots processed, Flavio Bolsonaro has received 47.2% of the vote, and Lula has 45%. Since neither candidate received enough votes to win outright on Sunday, the country's electoral court announced that Bolsonaro and Lula will face each other in a runoff on October 25.

Commenting on the outcome, Bolsonaro said he was "very happy with the real possibility that, three weeks from now, Brazil will give a definitive answer by choosing a modern government."

In turn, Lula said it was "unexpected" as he was convinced he would "win in the first round."

"Tomorrow we start a new campaign," the 80-year-old said. "I am very good in the knockout stage."

In 2022, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by only 1.8 percentage points.

You can relive the Brazil election with the recording of our livestream below.

Right gaining momentum in Brazil

Fabio de Sa e Silva, a professor of Brazilian studies at the University of Oklahoma, told DW that the right was currently on the rise in Brazil.

"The big news is not that we have a runoff... but it is a takeover that happened in Congress by the far-right," the researcher said.

He added that it will be very hard for Lula to govern with Brazil's new Congress, even if he eventually secures another term.

Along with voting for president, Brazil's 160 million registered voters also chose other lawmakers, governors, and some senators.

Those races brought more victories for the Bolsonaro family, with former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and another son of the former president, Carlos Bolsonaro, both winning Senate seats.

Overall, Bolsonaro's right-wing camp won by far the most Senate seats and will form the largest bloc in the chamber. 

How Lula and Bolsonaro campaigned

Lula and Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday in Brazil's economic powerhouse state of Sao Paulo.

The 80-year-old Lula capped off his campaign with a tour through the city of Sao Paulo, vowing to "defeat the far right."

Lula has campaigned on continuing his left-leaning Workers' Party platform, comprising welfare programs, state-funded development and income redistribution.

"The people will have to choose between strengthening the democratic regime and barbarism ... between progress and backwardness," he said as he cast his ballot on Sunday.

Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has served as the Liberal Party's senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019. On Saturday, he led a motorcycle parade through Sao Paulo's countryside cities of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana.

He also held up a portrait of his father, while the crowd shouted "mito" — a Portuguese word for "legend" that Jair Bolsonaro's supporters use to refer to him.

The right-wing Bolsonaro has campaigned on hardline security policies and tax cuts, emphasizing high cost of living under Lula, who he has slammed as "incompetent."

"Brazil needs change," the son of the former president said as he cast his vote. "Brazil cannot bear any more suffering, such as high taxes, so many women killed."

The shadow of Brazil's 2022 election

The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence in prison for attempting a coup to overturn his loss to Lula in the 2022 presidential election. Flavio Bolsonaro has vowed to pardon his father if elected.

Lula's team has cast the Bolsonaro movement as a threat to Brazil's sovereignty, pointing to Flavio and Jair's ties with US President Donald Trump, who last year slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in response to Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial.  The US president called the case a "witch hunt."

The younger Bolsonaro has said in interviews he is "more moderate" than his father, who he has nevertheless said will remain "my compass, my point of reference."

Policies where both Bolsonaros are similar include relaxed gun control laws and skepticism of human-caused climate change. 

Trump has not endorsed the senator, but has said he is watching the election "very closely."

Brazil finds itself politically divided, and campaigning has been bitter, with online operations from both sides seizing on every gaffe, accusation and rumor, quickly producing slick videos or AI-generated images for social media.

In September, it was revealed Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion tied to the financing of a biopic about his father. He has denied any misconduct. 

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Edited by: Sean Sinico