Brazil Votes in Tight Runoff Between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro

Overview

• Voters across Brazil went to the polls on Sunday, October 25, 2026, to choose between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) in the presidential second round while five states and the Federal District held governor runoffs.
• The Tribunal Superior Eleitoral reported 467 electronic voting machines were replaced by midmorning and said it expects to begin publishing results around 21:00 Brasília time after vote counting and section bulletins are transmitted.
• Both presidential candidates cast ballots and spoke to supporters—Flávio described his campaign as a 'clean' push for change while Lula thanked mobilized voters and framed them as an 'army of democracy.'
• Some voters faced different ballot orders and extra contests: six municipalities including Itaguaí held president-before-mayor votes and Itaguaí ran a supplementary mayoral election after the courts barred the 2024 winner from taking office.
• The Lula campaign asked electoral authorities to extend voting hours in Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas because of reported bus service reductions and the Bahia electoral court ordered measures to restore transport and investigate officials.