Flávio Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's first-round presidential vote but fell short of a majority, setting a runoff for 25 October.
Brazilians voted on Sunday, 4 October 2026, in the first round of a presidential election that will now be decided in a runoff. With about 99 percent of votes counted, BBC News reported Flávio Bolsonaro on 47.03 percent and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 45.16 percent. Neither reached the majority required to win outright.
Al Jazeera, citing Brazil's electoral court, said the two candidates advanced to a second round on 25 October after Bolsonaro received about 55.8 million votes and Lula almost 53.2 million. The first-round lead reversed some pre-election polling that had placed Lula slightly ahead.
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is a senator and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence over a failed coup attempt after the previous election, the BBC reported. Lula, 80, is seeking another term after defeating Jair Bolsonaro in 2022.
After voting, Lula warned that the choice was between democracy and what he called barbarism, while Bolsonaro said he wanted to free the Brazilian people, according to the BBC. Lula later described the result as unexpected and said he would return stronger in the runoff, Al Jazeera reported.
The Washington Post reported supporters of Flávio Bolsonaro celebrating partial results in Porto Alegre. Other first-round candidates included right-wing alternatives whose voters may now matter on 25 October. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said some of Bolsonaro's first-round support may already have been concentrated among voters mainly seeking to defeat Lula.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Supporters of Flávio Bolsonaro were reported celebrating partial results in Porto Alegre.
- Lula called the first-round result unexpected and said he would campaign to return stronger in the runoff.
- Bolsonaro said the result showed Brazilians want change.