Nearly 160 million Brazilians are casting ballots on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in the first round of the presidential election. President Lula faces Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — and results are expected tonight.
Photo: Mateus S. Figueiredo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Brazilians vote on electronic voting machines, the urna eletrônica, in use since the 1990s. They count fast — partial results typically begin arriving within hours of the polls closing.
Photo: Kleiner / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
On Saturday, Lula marched through São Paulo in a show of force. Organizers said some 150,000 supporters filled a two-kilometer stretch of Augusta Street — an organizer claim, not independently verified. He called the vote a choice between "democracy and barbarism." (File photo: a Lula campaign mobilization in Campinas, Aug 2026.)
Photo: Mtvdanilo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) — file photo, Aug 2026
Flávio Bolsonaro closed his campaign riding a motorcycle caravan through cities in São Paulo state, projecting momentum and predicting a first-round win: "I am convinced that everything is in place for us to win this election in the first round." (File photo: the motociata tradition — Jair Bolsonaro in Florianópolis, 2021.)
Photo: Palácio do Planalto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) — file photo, 2021
Flávio also rallied supporters in Rio de Janeiro, carrying a placard bearing the image of his father — former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest after being convicted of attempting to overturn the 2022 election result. (File photo: bolsonarista supporters on Av. Paulista, 2024.)
Photo: Lucas Brandon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — file photo, 2024
On Sunday morning, voters checked in at polling stations across Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District — part of a single-day general election that also chooses 27 governors, all 513 deputies, and 54 senators. (File photo: a polling station on Oct 2, 2022.)
Photo: TSE – Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (public domain) — 2022 election day
Polls point to a razor-thin race: Lula leads narrowly, but neither candidate is above 50% of valid votes — the threshold for an outright first-round win. Blank and null ballots don't count toward the 50%.
Photo: George Vale / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Jair Bolsonaro, serving a prison sentence for the 2022 coup attempt, is under house arrest and cannot campaign — but his image, his movement, and his son carry his name into this election. (File photo, 2019 — before his house arrest.)
Photo: Isac Nóbrega / Presidência da República (CC BY 2.0) — file photo, 2019
Beyond the presidency: 27 governorships, all 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 54 of 81 Senate seats. Sunday's results will reshape Brazil's entire political map.
Photo: Agência Senado / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
As polls close across Brazil's time zones, the Superior Electoral Court releases tallies. The question of the night: does anyone clear 50% of valid votes — or is it a runoff? (Photo: TSE's official electronic-count integrity test.)
Photo: TSE – Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (public domain) — integrity-test audit, 2022
If no candidate exceeds 50% of valid votes today, the top two finishers advance to a second-round runoff on October 25 — three more weeks of campaigning in an exhausted, polarized country.
Photo: Senado Federal / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
The Bolsonaro family are allies of President Trump, and Lula has accused Trump of trying to swing the vote through economic and diplomatic pressure — making this election a Washington story, too.
Photo: Wilfredor / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Photo: Senado Federal / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) — 2020 file photo