Brazil presidential election 2026: first-round live results

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva enfrenta Flávio Bolsonaro na primeira fase da corrida presidencial.

The incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is up against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison for plotting a military coup.

The president in Brazil is directly elected, and candidates need more than 50% of the vote to avoid a second round.

According to opinion polls, there are two leading candidates. The first is the incumbent president, Lula, 80, a veteran of the Brazilian left who has served three terms.

Durante seus dois primeiros mandatos, entre 2003 e 2011, ele foi creditado com a supervisão de um período histórico de crescimento impulsionado por commodities e redução da pobreza.

Brazilian presidents are limited to two consecutive terms, so if he wins this time he will not be able to stand in 2030. In 2018 Lula was jailed on corruption charges, although his conviction was quashed after 580 days behind bars.

Lula’s principal opponent is the far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison. Flávio is a 45-year-old lawyer and a former senator from Rio de Janeiro.

Bolsonaro senior is serving a 27-year sentence for masterminding a failed coup after losing the 2022 election but has endorsed his son’s campaign and hopes to regain his freedom if he wins.

Pesquisas de opinião indicam que nenhum outro candidato chegará perto dos dois líderes, mas não há um claro líder nas pesquisas para a segunda volta de 25 de outubro.

O novo líder assumirá o poder em 5 de janeiro de 2027.

Um dos estados mais importantes a observar é Minas Gerais, uma região montanhosa de mineração e agricultura que é maior que a França e tem 21 milhões de habitantes, e é o estado de referência do Brasil.

Since democracy returned in the 1980s, no candidate has won the presidency without triumphing in Minas. In 2018, Jair Bolsonaro beat Lula’s candidate there by more than 1.

Four years later, Lula reclaimed the state by fewer than 50,000 and also won the nationwide race. History suggests that whoever wins Minas, will win the election.