Brazil: Far-right candidate scores big win in first round

Far-right Congressman and former Army captain Jair Bolsonaro snagged a thumping win in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election but fell just short of amassing 50 percent votes, required to avoid second-round run-off later this month.

Bolsonaro, a populist who favors tough punishments for offenders, relaxing gun laws, reinstating death penalty and defending traditional family values, will face the left-wing Workers' Party candidate, Fernando Haddad, in the second round on 28 October, writes the BBC.

Voters’ anguish against scandal-plagued traditional parties has been a key factor behind Bolsonaro’s ascent to political prominence, notes Reuters. In a dramatic leap in Brazilian politics, Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal Party (PSL) is set to become the second-largest force in Congress after legislative elections also held on Sunday.