Brazil heads to a runoff election after Bolsonaro and Lula fail to garner a majority of votes

Brazil is headed to a presidential runoff election on October 25 after neither incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nor challenger Senator Flávio Bolsonaro secured a majority of the votes in Sunday's election. The race features Lula, the country's veteran leader representing the Workers' Party, facing off against Bolsonaro, a Liberal Party leader and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to the electoral court in Brasilia, Senator Bolsonaro led the initial round with a little over 47 percent of the vote, while President Lula followed closely in second place with almost 45 percent. Because neither candidate achieved the required majority, the contest moves to a decisive second round.

The runoff in Latin America's powerhouse economy will determine the presidency between the incumbent leftist leader and the conservative challenger backed by the Liberal Party.