Incumbent president and candidate for reelection Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he will respect the results of the Sunday runoff in Brazil, after a televised debate with former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brasilia.- “There is not the slightest doubt. Whoever has the most votes will win. That’s what democracy is,” the Liberal Party candidate told the Globo daily after the last confrontation before the election with Lula, Workers’ Party candidate, which ended in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The former soldier said on Wednesday that people expect serenity from the authorities in Brasilia because elections are decided by the vote, and whoever has more votes inside the ballot box should take office on the right date.

This time, the president was asked if he would respect the results because he has questioned the national election process in the past few years.

Political analysts and surveys coincide that it will be a tough runoff with a very close ending. Most public surveys give Lula a narrow victory margin, though lately the number of studies giving Bolsonaro the winning edge is growing.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal confirmed Lula won the first round on October 2 with 48.43% of the valid votes, while his ultraright-wing rival got 43.20%.

None reached the 50% plus 1 to win in the elections in which 11 candidates ran for the executive office. (PL)