Brazil election 2026: Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro face close runoff, with results due after polls close
Brazil is set to vote Sunday, October 25, in a closely contested presidential runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. No runoff results are available before polls close. Brazil’s electoral authority plans to begin publishing the count at 5 p.m. Brasília time.
Bolsonaro led the October 4 first round with about 47% of valid votes, against about 45% for Lula, but neither won the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Pre-election polls have pointed to a close finish. Sunday’s vote will decide whether Lula remains in office for another four years or the Bolsonaro family returns to the presidency.
When Brazil’s election results will appear
Polling stations across Brazil are scheduled to operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. The Superior Electoral Court, known as the TSE, says it will start releasing results at 5 p.m., as figures from electronic voting machines are received and added to the national count.
Readers can follow the official presidential count through the TSE’s results portal or its Resultados mobile app. Both show the share of votes counted as well as the candidates’ totals. The TSE also plans live election-night coverage on its official YouTube channel.
A first update is not a final result. In a close race, the lead could change as more areas report. Brazil’s electronic voting system usually makes a result available within hours of polls closing, but the TSE has not set a guaranteed time for declaring a winner.
What the runoff will decide
Lula, of the Workers’ Party, is seeking another term after returning to power in 2023. Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. He is running as voters weigh competing approaches to social spending, crime, the economy and Brazil’s relationship with the United States.
Household costs and public security have been prominent concerns. Lula has defended his government’s social programs and offered further economic measures. Bolsonaro has made tougher action on crime a central promise and has argued that he could improve relations with Washington.
The campaign has also featured corruption disputes. Lula’s past corruption convictions were annulled. Flávio Bolsonaro is under investigation over a payment he has acknowledged receiving from a former banker; an investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.
U.S. policy has become another dividing line. Lula has warned against American interference in Brazil’s election, while Washington has denied trying to influence the vote. Bolsonaro has emphasized his ties with the Trump administration.
The result will determine Brazil’s leadership from January 2027 and the direction of policy in Latin America’s largest economy. For more on the candidates’ closing messages, see NOWLIVO’s report on their final pitches before the runoff.
The winner is the candidate who receives more valid votes on Sunday. Until the TSE begins publishing the count after 5 p.m. Brasília time, polling figures and first-round totals remain guides to the contest—not the runoff result.
