Brazil Run-Off Election: Right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins presidential vote

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Europe

03:02

Excitement for some, concern for others, as Brazil elects a new President. Jair Bolsonaro is promising to transform Brazil into a great nation. CGTN's Lucrecia Franco is in Rio de Janeiro with more.

There were no surprises. Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won the presidency by a comfortable margin. Across the country, his supporters celebrated the ex-army captain's victory, the culmination of one of the most bitterly-disputed campaigns in the nation's history.

JOAO SALLAY LAW STUDENT "I think something great is going to come out of this. Impunity has to end. Corruption has to end."

In his acceptance speech, the man dubbed the 'Tropical Trump' sounded like the U.S. president he admires.

JAIR BOLSONARO BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT "And now, together, let's turn this country into a great nation, a free, democratic and prosperous nation."

Bolsonaro won Sunday's election with 55% of the vote, compared to the 45% for his rival, Fernando Haddad, of the Workers' Party. In his concession speech, Haddad addressed Bolsonaro's recent threats to expel or jail members of the Workers' Party.

FERNANDO HADDAD PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE "First, we made it to the second round. And then, we received 45 million votes. This expression of the will of the Brazilian people needs to be respected."

Some Haddad supporters showed fear as they watched the news of Haddad's defeat.

MARCOS RIECHELMANN HADDAD SUPPORTER "We have to fight to make sure none of the crazy things the other candidate promised come true."

LUCRECIA FRANCO RIO DE JANERIO "Bolsonaro blames the Worker's Party for the country's economic crisis, corruption scandals and soaring crime rates. While short on specifics, he has promised radical solutions."

Some analysts fear this election poses a threat to Brazil's young democracy, especially since the newly-elected president has repeatedly said nothing can be accomplished through Congress and has spoken openly about murdering political opponents.

PAULO BAIA, POLITICAL ANALYST RIO DE JANEIRO STATE UNIVERSITY "This will be the test to see if a president who has authoritarian tendencies and is from the extreme right-wing can withstand the temptation to change the rules of the game."

Bolsonaro is hardly known outside of Brazil, but he received congratulations from around the world-including from China, Brazil's biggest trading partner.

LU KANG, SPOKESPERSON CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "We would like to work with Brazil to update the comprehensive strategic partnership on the basis of mutual respect for each other's core interests."

After his victory, president-elect Bolsonaro promised to unite the country and defend the constitution. Lucrecia Franco, CGTN, Rio de Janeiro.