Flavio Bolsonaro holds lead over Lula as over 90% of Brazil's vote is counted

Flavio Bolsonaro has maintained his lead over incumbent President Lula in Brazil's presidential election, according to partial results from the country's Superior Electoral Court, with more than 90% of votes counted.

The partial tally shows Bolsonaro at 47.94% and Lula at 44.09%, a gap that, if it holds once counting is complete, would point toward a second-round runoff scheduled for October 25, since neither candidate has reached the threshold needed to win outright in the first round.

Brazil's electoral system requires a candidate to secure more than 50% of valid votes to avoid a runoff. With the current figures, both leading candidates remain below that threshold.

Electoral authorities continued to process the remaining votes, with a final declaration expected once the count is finished.

What happens next

Should the results hold, the runoff between the top two finishers would take place on October 25, giving both campaigns several weeks to campaign ahead of the decisive vote.

The presidential race has drawn significant attention within Brazil and internationally, reflecting the country's political and economic weight in South America.

Further updates on the final count and the confirmed runoff matchup are expected as the Superior Electoral Court completes its tabulation.