Brazil Presidential Election: Jair Bolsonaro, the 'Trump of the Tropics,' Wins Runoff

(From October 28, 2018) With 100 percent of the ballots tallied, far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro has defeated leftist opponent Fernando Haddad in a Sunday runoff to become the 38th president of Brazil, home to Latin America's largest population and biggest economy.

Bolsonaro obtained 55.1 percent of the vote, trouncing the former Sao Paulo mayor, who received 44.8 percent. Voting is compulsory in Brazil, meaning that almost 150 million of nationals cast their ballots Sunday.

Dubbed by various media outlets as "Brazil's Donald Trump" and "Trump of the Tropics," the right-wing politician, who previously served in Brazil's Congress, saw a surge of support following the first round of elections on October 7. Despite Bolsonaro's history of sexist, homophobic and racist remarks, he saw his lead over Haddad grow to comfortable double digits before Sunday's vote. (READ MORE at Newsweek)