In Brazil, right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has narrowly defeated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the country’s first-round election, winning 47 per cent against Lula’s 45 per cent.

The result defied opinion polls and set up a run-off on October 25.

Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, said he was confident of winning the presidency.

Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth term, while the election also delivered strong gains for the right in Congress.

The result marks a political comeback for the Bolsonaro family after Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 defeat and subsequent conviction over an attempted coup.