Thirteen candidacies and what Brazilians will elect
Brazil's presidential election takes place on Sunday, October 4, and 13 political groupings are competing for control of the country's executive branch, according to the official Brazilian government site. Voters will choose a president and vice president to lead the country for the next four years. The same ballot also decides governors in 26 states, renews the entire Chamber of Deputies and fills one third of the Senate.[S1]
How the runoff works and when it would be held
A second round is the stage most likely to determine the next president and vice president, since the general election is not expected to produce a clear winner. Under Brazilian rules, a runoff is held when no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes. The same electronic voting method used in the general election applies, except that only two tickets remain in contention. If no candidate wins outright in the first round, the decision would fall to a runoff on Sunday, October 25.[S1]
What the latest polling shows
A survey by the polling firm Quaest dated Monday, September 28 puts incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 39% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 34% in the first round of Sunday's election. The poll indicates the gap between the two is now five points, after standing at just three points in preceding weeks. In a runoff scenario, Quaest reports that da Silva and Bolsonaro would each take 42%, leaving the two candidates for the country's highest executive office in a tight tie.[S1]
