Centrist Brazilian Senator Simone Tebet, who finished third in the presidential race, on Wednesday said she was supporting leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro when they face off in an October 30th runoff vote.
Ms Tebet received nearly 5 million votes in Sunday's first-round vote, making her ineligible for the second round. She said she would now be supporting Mr Lula because of his support for Brazil's democracy and constitution.
The election will decide if the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world’s fourth-largest democracy or keeps the far-right incumbent in office.
With 98.8 per cent of the votes tallied in Sunday’s election, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had 48.1 per cent support and incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro had 43.5 per cent support.
Brazil’s election authority said the result made a second-round vote between the two candidates a mathematical certainty.
