RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Jair Bolsonaro, aged 63, was one of the candidates expected to make it to the second round of Brazil's 2018 presidential election.

A former army officer, Bolsonaro has been considered a far-right candidate. He is conservative in politics and a defender of privatization and minimum state interference in the economy.

Born in Sao Paulo state in 1955, Bolsonaro entered the Agulhas Negras Military Academy (Aman), from which he graduated in 1977, in the final years of the military dictatorship.

He left the army in 1988 and won a seat in the Rio City Council in the next year.

In 1990, Bolsonaro ran for federal representative and was elected to the House in early 1991. He served seven consecutive terms in the legislative body.

He was stabbed on the campaign trail in early September and had two emergency surgeries. His popularity grew further following the attack.

With 96 percent of the votes counted, Bolsonaro garnered 46.66 percent of the votes, compared with 28.43 percent for the runner-up Fernando Haddad, according to results from the top electoral body Superior Electoral Court (TSE). They are expected to face off in the second round later this month.