
Controversial far-right candidate and ex-soldier Jair Bolsonaro has defeated his leftist rival in the Brazilian elections.

Brazil's top electoral court confirmed the congressman's victory and Bolsonaro, 63, won with 55.5 per cent of the vote.

He becomes the new president of the world's fourth-largest democracy after defeating leftist Fernando Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor.

A former army captain, Bolsonaro is vowing to rescue the country from crisis with a firm grip.

He tapped into deep anti-establishment anger throughout the election campaign, but repulsed many with his denigrating remarks about women, gay and black people.

Brazil's top electoral court has confirmed that Jair Bolsonaro is the new president of Brazil with the 63-year-old getting with 55.5 per cent of the vote

Bolsonaro (right) and his wife, Michelle (left) pose for a photo after voting at a polling station in Rio de Janeiro earlier today before the results were announced

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro pose for a selfie as they celebrate in front of his residence in Rio de Janeiro after his victory in the election

Supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, celebrate in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, after the former army captain won Brazil's presidential election

Bolsonaro's rise has been propelled by a rejection of the leftist PT that ran Brazil for 13 of the last 15 years before being ousted two years ago in the midst of a deep recession and political graft scandal.

Reacting to his victory in a video transmitted from his home in Rio de Janeiro, the new President recounted how he was stabbed while campaigning last month and almost died.

Bolsonaro, who ran on promises to clean up Brazil and bring back 'traditional values,' said he would respect the constitution and personal liberty.

Bolsonaro also vowed to defend 'constitution, democracy and freedom' in Brazil.

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro hold a cardboard gun in Rio de Janeiro as they celebrate after Bolsonaro wins the Brazilian presidential race

Supporters gather outside the residence of president-elect Bolsonaro in anticipation of his victory speech, in Rio de Janeiro

Bolsonaro's supporters were in high spirits after his victory and could be seen celebrating by waving flags and gathering together in joy

He said: 'I first want to thank God. This is not the promise of a party, nor the word of a man. It is an oath before God.

'We will change Brazil's destiny together.'

Bolsonaro will take office on January 1. The longtime congressman pledged to govern following the Bible and the constitution and added: 'We cannot continue flirting with socialism, communism, populism and the extremism of the left.'

Mr Bolsonaro has vowed to crack down on crime in Brazil's cities and farm belt by granting police more autonomy to shoot at criminals.

Supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, celebrate in front of his house in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after he won Brazil's presidential election

Bolsonaro's supporters were in high spirits after voting ended on Sunday - and later set off fireworks as celebrations took place in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo

Bolsonaro has only campaigned on Twitter since an attacker stabbed him in the stomach at a rally, sending him to the hospital for three weeks. Pictured, Bolsonaro after the attack

A far-right former army captain, Bolsonaro is vowing to rescue the country from crisis with a firm grip - although he has been criticised for some of his comments

Brazil's new president defeated leftist Fernando Haddad (pictured), a former Sao Paulo mayor, in the election. Here he is pictured at a polling station in Sao Paulo

A supporter of Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrates his victory at the Ministries Esplanade, in Brasilia while posing with a nerf gun

His supporters took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Bolsonaro's election success

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), gather around an inflatable doll, also known as Pixuleco, depicting Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

On the losing side, the reaction was despair - and a defiant vow to resist.

The defeated Haddad vowed to 'defend freedoms' of the president-elect's opponents and the 45 million people who voted for him.

Aides also said that Mr Haddad had not called Bolsonaro to congratulate him.

'This is a dark day for Brazil; Brazilian democracy is now in complete crisis,' said Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.

Laura Chinchilla, the former president of Costa Rica and head of the Organization of American States' Electoral Observation Mission, said the vote had been calm and orderly across the country, which has suffered a spate of partisan violence during the campaign.

As the results came in, supporters flooded the streets outside Bolsonaro's home in Rio de Janeiro, letting off fireworks and waving Brazilian flags.

People also set off fireworks on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, and car drivers honked their horns across the city.

Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party, vowed to defend the freedoms of Bolsonaro's opponents after his defeat

Haddad kisses his wife Ana Estela in Sao Paulo after his press conference following the result of the election

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro celebrate in front of his residence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after the results of the election were announced

They could be seen letting off fireworks and shooting flares as they celebrated Bolsonaro's victory over Haddad

Supporters flooded the streets outside Bolsonaro's home in Rio de Janeiro, letting off fireworks and waving Brazilian flags

Supporters of Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrate his victory over his leftist in Rio de Janeiro

Supporters of Bolsonaro looked ready to party well into the night as they celebrated the former soldier's victory in the Brazil elections

Flags were waved and fireworks and flare were let off all over Brazil as Bolsonaro's supporters celebrated his election victory

As well as setting off fireworks, his supporters blared car horns throughout Rio after Bolsonaro was declared the victor

A supporter of Jair Bolsonaro draped in the Brazilian flag celebrates in Sao Paolo after Bolsonaro wins the presidential race

In Sao Paulo, crowds gathered on a central avenue with banners and flags and people cheered and set off firecrackers in other neighborhoods as results came in.

Riot police separated supporters of Bolsonaro and those of Fernando Haddad when they briefly scuffled in Sao Paulo.

After the result, supporters of the leftist Worker Party (PT) and Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gathered outside the Federal Police headquarters where Lula is serving a prison sentence, in Curitiba.

Many Brazilians are concerned that Bolsonaro, an admirer of Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship and a defender of its use of torture on leftist opponents, will trample on human rights, curtail civil liberties and muzzle freedom of speech.

The 63-year-old seven-term congressman has vowed to crack down on crime in Brazil's cities and farm belt by granting police more autonomy to shoot at criminals.

Police officers patrol the streets during a gathering of supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT), Fernando Haddad, in Rio de Janeiro

Supporters of Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party (PT), and Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), face off after the election results

Tensions were high between the two groups after the results - although there were no reports of widespread and serious violence following Bolsonaro's win

There were reports of brief scuffles in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo between supporters of Bolsonaro and Haddad

Supporters of Socialist candidate Fernando Haddad argue with supporters of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro after the results of the elections, in Rio de Janeiro

Serious fights and violence didn't break out but it seemed as if tensions were running high between rival groups all over the country

Supporters of Bolsonaro could be seen taking to the streets and celebrating just before the results were announced

Supporters of Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party (PT), react to exit polls during a runoff election in Rio de Janeiro

As the results came in, Bolsonaro's supporters set off fireworks on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, and car drivers honked their horns across the city

He also wants to let more Brazilians buy weapons to fight crime.

Bolsonaro - who is nicknamed 'Tropical Trump' - made a final pitch on social media ahead of the election, the only place he has campaigned since an attacker stabbed him in the stomach at a rally last month, sending him to the hospital for three weeks.

'God willing, tomorrow will be our new independence day,' he tweeted.

In an unusual move, the Chief Justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Jose Dias Toffoli, read out part of the country's constitution to reporters after he voted yesterday. Many took it to be a rebuke of Mr Bolsonaro and his more extreme positions.

He said: 'The future president must respect institutions, must respect democracy, the rule of law, the judiciary branch, the national Congress and the legislative branch.'

Coming on the heels of a punishing recession and staggering corruption scandal, the Latin American giant's elections have thrown up a spectacular cast of characters, even by the standards of these divisive, anti-establishment times.

A supporter of far-right lawmaker and new Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro could be seen celebrating the former soldier's victory

Supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, celebrate in front of his house in Rio de Janeiro with one fan dressed as sci-fi film character Robocop

The supporters of Bolsonaro also took to the streets of Sao Paulo to celebrate his victory in the election

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's most incendiary and controversial comments Controversial ex-soldier Bolsonaro (pictured on Sunday) is Brazil's next president after defeating his leftist rival Throughout his campaign and political career, Jair Bolosoanro provoked anger and outrage at some of his comments on topics like homosexuality and and women. Bolsonaro's candidacy raised serious concerns that he would roll back civil rights and weaken institutions in what remains a young democracy. He frequently disparaged women, gays and blacks, and said he would name military men to his Cabinet. Minutes after he was elected, several international human rights groups also put out statements demanding that Bolsonaro respect Brazil's democracy. Some of the most controversial comments made by the newly-elected president include: During 2016 impeachment proceedings against former leftist President Dilma Rousseff, who was jailed and tortured during Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s, Bolsonaro dedicated his vote to the colonel who tortured her.

In 2003, Bolsonaro pushed a congresswoman and told her: 'I would never rape you because you do not deserve it.' He repeated the comment in 2014 in the chamber.

On a radio program in 2016, Bolsonaro said the error of the dictatorship had been 'to torture and not to kill.' Brazil's national truth commission found that 440 people died under the 1964-85 military rule, of which 210 disappeared without trace.

Brazil's public prosecutor charged Bolsonaro earlier this year with inciting discrimination against black people, indigenous people, women and gays in public comments he has made, including 'If I see two men kissing in the street, I will hit them.'

At an event last year in Rio de Janeiro, he said having a daughter, his fifth child after four boys, was a 'weakness.'

'I would not be able to love a gay son. I would rather he die in an accident,' he told Playboy magazine in 2011.

Speaking last year about communities of descendants of escaped slaves, who are protected by Brazil's social programs, Bolsonaro suggested the state was wasting money: 'They do nothing! I don't think they even serve for reproduction.' Advertisement

The reaction of Haddad's supporters was markedly different and some of them looked inconsolable after the result

A supporter of Haddad embraces a fellow weeping supporter after learning that rival Jair Bolsonaro was declared the winner in the presidential runoff election

Supporters of the leftist Worker Party (PT) and Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gathered outside the Federal Police headquarters where Lula is serving a prison sentence, in Curitiba

Bolsonaro repulses a large part of the electorate - and many outside the country - with his overtly misogynistic, homophobic and racist rhetoric.

He once told a lawmaker he opposed that she 'wasn't worth raping;' he has said he would rather see his sons die than come out as gay; and he commented after visiting one black community that they 'do nothing - they're so useless I doubt they can procreate.'

But an even larger portion of voters rejected Haddad and the tarnished legacy of his Workers' Party.

Haddad, 55, stood as a surrogate for jailed ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who led Brazil through the boom years of 2003 to 2010.

Lula remains the country's most popular politician, despite being accused of masterminding the massive pilfering of state oil company Petrobras.

But the hugely divisive Workers' Party founder was barred from running because he is serving a 12-year prison sentence.

Jair Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle kiss before he casts his vote in the presidential runoff election

Federal police officers escort Jair Bolsonaro as he arrives to vote during the second round of the presidential elections in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday

Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, gestures next to an electronic voting booth

Haddad, who lacks Lula's natural charisma, struggled to unite opposition to Bolsonaro, despite mounting fears over what the former army officer's presidency would look like.

His campaign slogan was to make Brazil 'happy again' - as in Lula's poverty-fighting golden days - but it is an uncomfortable legacy.

He ultimately ended up pulling his controversial mentor's image from his campaign ads.

Bolsonaro (right) had an eight- to 10-point lead over leftist Fernando Haddad (left) going in, according to two final opinion polls released on Saturday

'This thing is going to turn around,' Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor, buoyantly told thousands of supporters at his final campaign rally Saturday (pictured)

Bolsonaro harks back to a different past: that of the 'Brazilian miracle' of rapid industrialisation under the military regime that ruled from 1964 to 1985.

He has drawn criticism for his vocal defense of the brutal dictatorship.

He once said the regime's 'mistake' was that it tortured, instead of killing, leftist dissidents and suspected sympathisers.

But in an anti-establishment climate, his message has sold better than Haddad's.

The election looks set to be decided as much by Brazilians voting against something as for it.

One poll released Saturday found 39 percent of voters said they would not cast a ballot for Bolsonaro under any circumstances.

The rejection rate for Haddad was even higher: 44 percent.

Bolsonaro is taken on the shoulders of a supporter moments before being stabbed during a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, in September

Running for the formerly minor Social Liberal Party, Bolsonaro is, according to many political analysts, a symptom of the crises ailing Brazil since the Workers Party's 13 years in power came crashing to an end with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff in 2016.

Among those crises: Brazil's economy shrank nearly seven percent during its worst-ever recession, from 2015 to 2016; the multi-billion-dollar Petrobras scandal has left voters disgusted with the seemingly bottomless corruption of politicians and business executives; and there is widespread outrage over violent crime, in a country that registered a record 63,880 murders last year.

Outgoing President Michel Temer, himself implicated in corruption, is set to leave office on January 1 as the most unpopular president in Brazil's modern democracy with a two per cent approval rating.