More than 9,000 people were registered to vote in Faro over this weekend, far more than in 2022, as Brazil heads for a presidential run-off between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.
Despite thousands of kilometres of the churning Atlantic separating them from their home, the Brazilian community of the Algarve and Lower Alentejo were not stopped from voting this past Sunday, 4 October, at the Brazilian consulate in Faro, casting their vote to select the next president of their native country.
In all, 9,012 people were registered to vote in Faro, far more than four years ago, when the consulate had almost half as many registered voters.
With all ballots counted, Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) led the first round with 47% of the vote, ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT) on 45.2%. Because neither passed the 50% threshold, the two will meet in a second round on 25 October. Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Faro is part of a much larger overseas electorate. More than 916,000 Brazilians living abroad were eligible to vote this year, and they choose only the president and vice-president. That is about 32% more than in 2022. The United States has the most registered Brazilian voters abroad, at about 265,000, followed by Portugal with about 135,000. The Portuguese figure, 134,797, is a record, and 66.6% higher than in 2022.
Voting is compulsory for eligible Brazilians abroad, as it is at home, for those aged 18 to 70. Anyone who did not vote had to justify their absence on the electoral court's website.
In Portugal, early counts put Lula ahead, with 26,401 votes against 19,412 for the Liberal Party candidate. Euronews reported that Lula won in Lisbon and Porto, while Bolsonaro came out ahead in Faro.
Source: Euronews / Sul Informação
Photo credit: Sul Informação
