TL;DR
Brazil's first-round presidential election took place on October 4, 2026, with no candidate securing a majority. The top two candidates — incumbent President Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — will compete in a runoff on October 25.
Event overview
On the evening of October 4, 2026 (local time), results of Brazil's first-round presidential election were released. Per Xinhua and CNR, since no candidate obtained more than half of valid votes, the top two candidates — incumbent President and Workers' Party candidate Lula, and Liberal Party candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — will compete in a runoff on October 25.
Key facts
- First round: held on October 4, 2026; turnout was 78.92%, with more than 33.46 million people not voting (per CCTV citing Brazil's Superior Electoral Court).
- Result: no candidate passed 50%; all other candidates scored below 5% (per People's Daily Online).
- Runoff matchup: incumbent President, Workers' Party candidate Lula vs Liberal Party candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the former president (per Xinhua).
- Runoff date: October 25, 2026; barring special circumstances, the result is expected within hours after voting closes (per People's Daily Online).
- Background: Lula represents the left-wing camp and is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term (per Xinhua, August report).
Official sources
- CNR (October 5, 2026): Brazil presidential election first round has no winner, runoff set
- Xinhua (October 5, 2026): Brazil presidential election to head to runoff
- People's Daily Online (October 5, 2026): Brazil presidential election to head to runoff