Augusto Cury, who came in third in Brazil's election, announces his support for Flávio Bolsonaro to defeat Lula in the runoff

Augusto Cury, the Avante Party candidate who finished third in the first round in Brazil, endorsed conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro for the October 25 runoff against leftist incumbent Lula da Silva. He announced this on Thursday, following a video call with the senator and after the latter signed a letter outlining eight commitments.

Cury, a psychiatrist and self-help author, had avoided taking a stance since Sunday's election. The candidate, who describes himself as a "centrist," received 3,448,569 votes—or 2.89% of the valid votes—a figure greater than the margin between Bolsonaro and Lula, which was around 2.2 million.

Flávio finished with 47.03%, or about 56 million votes, and Lula with 45.16%, or about 53.8 million.

The rapprochement began Thursday morning during a video call that lasted over an hour. In a video posted on social media announcing his endorsement, Cury urged the senator to make a public commitment, and Flávio did so in writing.

"I told him clearly that I would not participate in his government and that my independence of judgment would be non-negotiable," Cury said in a statement from his press team. The statement clarifies that there were no negotiations regarding positions or personal benefits and that the endorsement "does not constitute a blank check," but rather a "vote of confidence" in the commitments Bolsonaro had accepted.

The agreement's eight points fall into three main areas. On the institutional front, Flávio pledged to end presidential reelection, to govern for all Brazilians regardless of political affiliation, and to combat corruption. On the social front, he promised to expand telemedicine, protect women from domestic violence through technological support, and reform education with a focus on teachers and better salaries. Economically, he pledged to finance up to ten million microenterprises, strengthen the cooperative movement, and double sustainable food production within ten years.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, expressed gratitude in a social media post. He said it was "a very pleasant surprise" and that Cury's ideas closely resemble his own, but clarified that this endorsement does not give him a "blank check" because he will be writing the "new pages of Brazil" together with his allies.

Cury's announcement joins other endorsements coming in ahead of the runoff election. For example, the senator already has the backing of the Republicans party, the União Brasil federation, and the PP. He also has the support of former President Michel Temer (MDB) and two first-round rivals, Romeu Zema (Novo) and Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), who together garnered nearly three million votes.

Meanwhile, Antônio Carlos Magalhães Neto, of the União Brasil party, pledged to campaign for Flávio in Bahia. Lula, meanwhile, has not yet secured support from the top-voting candidates who were eliminated and is struggling to attract support outside his leftist coalition, remaining far from the political center and the undecided vote.

The presidential runoff in Brazil between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula is scheduled for Sunday, October 25.