The Night Flávio Shocked Brazil
Right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in Sunday's presidential first round with about 47% of the vote — defying final polls that had shown Lula narrowly leading. Brazil is going to a runoff.
Photo: Codigo 22
The Count: 47.06% vs 45.13%
With 99.9% counted, the TSE had Flávio at 47.06% (56,077,162 votes) and Lula at 45.13% (53,783,307 votes). A gap of under two points — but the order of finish was the shock.
Photo: Eneille
The 50% Rule
In Brazil, a candidate needs more than 50% of valid votes — blank and null ballots don't count — to win outright. Neither man cleared it. So the top two meet again on October 25.
Photo: Iris BH (TSE image)
Lula: "A New Campaign"
"I confess I was convinced I would win the election in the first round," Lula told supporters at a São Paulo hotel late Sunday. "Starting tomorrow, we begin a new campaign."
Photo: Buckcash
"The End of the PT Era"
Flávio claimed the night as a turning point for Lula's Workers' Party: "I can't wait to regain democracy in three weeks," he said — adding of a potential presidency, "I only need one term."
Photo: Pernambuco Info
The Bolsonaro Base
Flávio closed his campaign with a motorcycle caravan through São Paulo state and a rally in Rio — and the streets answered. His movement's energy carried him past the pollsters' predictions. (File photo: a pro-Bolsonaro mobilization in Brasília.)
Photo: Poder Nacional
The Father in the Frame
Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after being convicted of plotting to overturn the 2022 election — but his image, his movement and his son carry his name into this race. (Photo: Jair Bolsonaro with police.)
Photo: Korea Times
A Rightward Wave in Congress
Sunday also chose 27 governors, all 513 deputies and 54 senators — and early results showed major right-wing gains, especially in the Senate. A setback for Lula's government either way.
Photo: Fisenge
Voters at the Polls
Nearly 160 million Brazilians were eligible to vote on the country's electronic voting machines — in use since the 1990s — with results landing Sunday evening local time. (File photo: a 2022 voting machine.)
Photo: Vladimir Chaves (file photo, 2022)
A Nation Divided
The candidates who finished third, fourth and fifth are all right-wing — giving Flávio a natural pool of runoff voters to court. October 25 is set up to be another knife-edge contest. (Photo: a pro-Bolsonaro protest.)
Photo: NTV (Turkiye)
Three Weeks to October 25
Both campaigns now sprint for endorsements, debates and the undecided. After Sunday's polling miss, nobody in Brasília is taking any prediction for granted. (Photo: Lula during the 2026 campaign.)
Photo: Reuters (via TMC Brasil)
The World Is Watching
The Bolsonaro family are allies of President Trump, and Lula has accused Washington of trying to swing the vote — making the runoff a White House story too. (Photo: President Trump at the White House, 2026.)
Photo: The White House (via Prasarium)
Read the Full Results Story
The final numbers, both speeches, the congressional fallout and what happens next — all in our full report on Brazil's first-round shock. Tap below to read it.
Photo: Panorama RJ