Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

Brazil voted for a new president on Sunday. There were 13 people in the race.

Flávio Bolsonaro got the most votes. He got about 47 out of every 100 votes. President Lula got about 45.

No one got more than half of the votes. So Brazil will vote again on October 25. Only Flávio and Lula will be in the second vote.

vote

To choose a person or an idea.

president

The top leader of a country.

race

A contest to win a job or a prize.

candidate

A person who wants to win an election.

half

One of two equal parts.

second

Coming after the first.

son

A male child of a parent.

close

Not far apart.

Level 2 — Elementary

Brazil held the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, October 4. Thirteen candidates were on the ballot, but the race came down to two men.

With almost every vote counted, Flávio Bolsonaro had 47.04 percent of the valid votes. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had 45.15 percent. That is less than two points apart.

Because nobody passed 50 percent, the two men will meet again in a runoff on October 25. Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula wants a fourth term as president.

Many polls before the vote had shown Lula slightly ahead, so the result surprised some people.

ballot

The paper or screen used to vote.

runoff

A second vote between the top two candidates.

percent

A part out of one hundred.

valid

Counted as correct.

term

The time a leader serves, such as four years.

poll

A survey that asks people their opinion.

ahead

In front of others.

surprise

To cause a feeling because something was not expected.

Level 3 — Intermediate

Brazilians went to the polls on Sunday, and the first-round count delivered a result that few forecasters had predicted so confidently. With roughly 99.96 percent of polling stations reporting, Flávio Bolsonaro led with 47.04 percent of valid votes, against 45.15 percent for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In raw numbers, that is about 56.1 million votes for Bolsonaro and 53.9 million for Lula. Neither man crossed the 50 percent threshold required to win outright, which sends the contest to a second round on October 25. It was the closest first round since Brazil returned to direct presidential elections after its military dictatorship.

Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, had led most surveys through the summer, although the margin narrowed in September. Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, has campaigned on security and the economy while presenting himself as a break from the current government.

Analysts say the next three weeks will hinge on the voters who backed the other eleven candidates, and on turnout. A tight runoff also raises the stakes for Congress and for markets, which tend to react sharply to Brazilian election news.

threshold

A level that must be passed for something to happen.

outright

Completely and without a second round.

polling station

A place where people cast their votes.

dictatorship

Rule by one person or group with no free elections.

non-consecutive

Not following directly one after the other.

hinge on

To depend completely on.

turnout

The number of people who actually vote.

stakes

What can be won or lost.

Level 4 — Advanced

Brazil's presidential race has been thrown into a fortnight of high-stakes uncertainty after the first-round count handed Flávio Bolsonaro a narrow plurality over the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. With virtually every ballot tallied, the conservative challenger secured 47.04 percent of valid votes to Lula's 45.15 percent, a margin of under two points that translates to roughly 2.2 million ballots.

The outcome is the tightest first-round result since the country restored direct presidential elections following two decades of military rule, and it confounds the pre-election polling, which had generally shown the veteran left-wing leader holding a modest advantage. Neither man cleared the 50 percent bar, so the two will meet in a runoff on October 25.

For Lula, who is pursuing an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term, the arithmetic is unforgiving. Most of the eleven eliminated candidates sit to the right of centre, and their supporters may lean towards Bolsonaro, the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has built his campaign around public security, tax relief and a rebuke of what he calls the incumbent's overreach.

Whichever candidate prevails will inherit a polarised electorate, a fractious Congress and an economy whose currency and equities have lurched with each shift in the polls. Investors, diplomats and the two camps' strategists will spend the coming weeks parsing every survey for movement among the undecided.

plurality

The largest share of votes, even if it is not a majority.

incumbent

The person who currently holds an office.

tallied

Counted up in total.

confound

To contradict expectations and cause confusion.

fractious

Hard to manage because of constant disagreement.

polarised

Divided into two strongly opposed groups.

rebuke

A sharp expression of disapproval.

parse

To examine something closely in order to understand it.