RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Jair Messias Bolsonaro, candidate of the conservative Social Liberal Party (PSL), has been elected as the country's next president on Sunday in the presidential run-off by garnering more than 55 percent of the vote.

Born on March 21, 1955 in the town of Glicerio in Sao Paulo state, Bolsonaro entered politics in 1988, when he ran for councilman in Rio de Janeiro on behalf of the Christian Democratic Party and got elected.

Bolsonaro went on to serve seven consecutive terms as a federal deputy for a number of different parties, and became known as an outspoken conservative lawmaker.

His controversial statements over the years generated numerous petitions to strip him of his seat and led to three judicial convictions.

In January 2018, he joined the PSL, the ninth political party to which he has belonged, and became its presidential candidate.

His tough stance on crime and defense of traditional family values earned him a large following in a country plagued by violence and corruption.

However, among progressives, his hardline stance has raised alarms.

Bolsonaro was stabbed at a campaign rally on Sept. 6 and spent weeks in hospital for treatment. Instead of attending presidential debates, he addressed his followers directly via videos and messages recorded from his hospital bed and posted on social network platforms.

Surveys show most of Bolsonaro's support comes from men between the ages of 16 and 34.

Among his campaign promises, Bolsonaro has pledged to enable citizens to carry guns for self-protection, to lower the age of minors that need to be held accountable for their crimes from 18 to 16, and to end prisoner furloughs.

He favors liberal economic policies, such as privatizing state-owned companies, cutting taxes, and controlling the fiscal deficit and inflation.

Bolsonaro is married to his third wife and has five children.