World
Carioca elections •
Bolsonaro wins in Brazil, but a run-off will be necessary
The son of the former president, who is in prison for attempting a coup, has defeated the outgoing 80-year-old president. The former won 47 per cent of the vote, the latter 45 per cent. On 25 October, Brazilians will return to the polls
5 OCT 26
Last updated: 06:16 AM
Translated by AI
Photo: AP via LaPresse
Brazilians will have to return to the polls on 25 October. The run-off will determine who will become the 40th President of the Federal Republic of Brazil. The presidential elections on Sunday 4 October ended in a virtual dead heat: 47 per cent of voters (56.1 million votes) chose the right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro – the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro – whilst 45 per cent (53.8 million) voted for the outgoing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is standing for a fourth presidential term.
A lead of two percentage points which, however, seems to be a guarantee of success. The other eleven candidates who had attempted to challenge Bolsonaro and Lula represent the right or the centre-right. And the 8 per cent of voters who voted for them are very unlikely to vote for the Workers’ Party candidate.
The election forecasts, however, failed to capture the true state of the country. Lula was tipped to win by all analysts, and no one considered a victory for Bolsonaro possible, even though the far-right candidate was staging a major comeback: in January 2026 he was polling at 30 per cent, and by mid-September at 43 per cent.
The outgoing president Lula’s age – 80 – appears to have weighed more heavily on voters’ decisions than the legal troubles of the far-right politician’s father, the son of a former president who ended up in prison for attempting a coup.
In São Paulo, Bolsonaro’s supporters took to the streets, chanted, honked their horns and set off fireworks to celebrate the right-wing candidate’s victory.
Outgoing President Lula, however, played down the defeat and announced that anything is still possible. “The new president will be chosen in the second round. From tomorrow, we’ll start a new campaign.”
If Bolsonaro manages to defeat Lula in the run-off, it will be the biggest victory to date for the rising right in Latin America. Furthermore, it will bring to power an enthusiastic ally of Trump, who has expressed a willingness to help Washington pursue its goal of hegemony in the region.