Overview
- The first-round vote, which was held Sunday, Oct. 4, left Flávio Bolsonaro ahead with roughly 47.14% against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s 45.03%, producing a runoff on Oct. 25.
- About 12% of voters backed other centre‑right candidates and turnout was near 79%, with null ballots at 2.93% and blank ballots at 1.84%, a vote split that will shape where excluded candidates’ supporters go in the runoff.
- Early tallies show the Liberal Party (PL) projected to emerge as the largest Senate bloc with about 28 seats and several Bolsonaro family members winning legislative posts, strengthening the conservative camp in Congress.
- Because southern and wealthier states report first and favoured Bolsonaro, later returns from Lula’s northeastern strongholds are expected to narrow the margin, making the allocation of centre‑right votes decisive for the second round.
- The results handed 20 governorships in the first round largely to right‑leaning candidates and could limit Lula’s policy options and judicial oversight next year, so observers will watch turnout, candidate endorsements, and how excluded candidates direct their supporters before Oct. 25.