RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Thousands of Brazilian students took to the streets of central Rio de Janeiro this week to oppose the possibility of far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro becoming president after he won more votes than left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of the election.

The protesters, many wearing red, marched between two historic squares in central Rio, chanting and carrying signs about democracy and Brazil's sovereignty. They said both were at risk if Bolsonaro won the presidency.

Talita Amaral, a 19-year-old environmental science student, said the protest was about Brazil rather than support for Lula. She wore Brazil's yellow-and-green football jersey, colors often associated with Bolsonaro supporters, saying she wanted to reclaim the national colors.

Amaral said protesters needed to remain active, take to the streets, use WhatsApp groups and try to persuade other voters rather than lose hope after the first-round results.

Neither Bolsonaro nor Lula secured more than 50 percent of the votes needed to win the presidency outright on October 4. They will now face each other in a runoff election on October 25.

Bolsonaro has several advantages going into the second round. He received about two million more votes than Lula in the first round, while the candidates who finished third, fourth and fifth were all on the political right. Together, those candidates received more than eight million votes.

Bolsonaro is also facing investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion linked to the failed Banco Master. Several protesters in Rio mentioned the case.

Some demonstrators also criticized Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, during which around 700,000 people in Brazil died from the disease. Others carried signs saying Brazil could not be controlled by others and that they would not vote for a candidate who wanted to sell the country.

Many left-wing voters are concerned that a Flávio Bolsonaro government would bring Brazil closer to the United States because of the political similarities between President Donald Trump and the Bolsonaro family.

Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods last year and sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court justice over the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, which Trump described as a political witch hunt.

João Victor Vieira, a 20-year-old literature student, said a Bolsonaro victory could make Brazil heavily dependent on the United States. He also said Bolsonaro posed a threat to minorities, including people of color, women and LGBTQ+ people. Jair Bolsonaro has previously faced criticism for homophobic remarks.

Vieira said he had initially felt discouraged by the election result but had since become more hopeful.

"This protest shows that social movements are still very much alive," he said. "We will resist."