Lula leads Bolsonaro in Brazil election as first votes tallied

Brazil's former President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greets supporters after casting his vote during the presidential election, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Brazil's national election authority on Sunday began reporting the initial results of the country's presidential election, in which leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva aims to unseat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

With just 0.1% of voting machines counted, Lula had 51% of valid votes, compared to 37% for Bolsonaro, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reported on its website. If no candidate wins over half the votes, excluding blank and spoiled ballots, the top two will face off in a second-round vote on Oct. 30.

(Reporting by Victor Borges; Additional reporting by Eduardo Simoes and Steven Grattan in Sao Paulo; Editing by Brad Haynes)