In short
- Polls closed at 17:00 Brasília time (20:00 GMT) on 4 October 2026 in Brazil’s general election.
- Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, of the left-wing Workers’ Party, faced 11 challengers led by right-winger Flávio Bolsonaro.
- Almost 160 million Brazilians were eligible to vote; voting is compulsory for literate citizens aged between 18 and 70.
- Jair Bolsonaro, 71, is barred from office and is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup; he is under house arrest.
- If no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes, a run-off between the top two is scheduled for 25 October.
Polls closed at 17:00 Brasília time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday 4 October in Brazil’s general election, with incumbent President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva facing 11 challengers led by right-winger Flávio Bolsonaro. The country’s electronic voting system was expected to deliver a result within a few hours.
Who is on Brazil’s presidential ballot?
Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, is the candidate of the left-wing Workers’ Party and is seeking a fourth term. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, is the most prominent of the 11 other candidates. Twelve candidates in total are contesting the presidency.
What do the polls say before the first round?
Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro have been polling around 40% each, with Lula slightly ahead, and the other candidates sit at 4% or less. The two have been running neck and neck in the final stretch. If no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes on 4 October, the top two go to a run-off on 25 October. At the end of September, 9% of voters were undecided, planned to spoil or leave their ballot blank, or did not intend to vote at all.
How does voting work in Brazil?
Brazilians aged 16 and over are entitled to vote, and voting is compulsory for literate citizens between 18 and 70, with a fine for those who do not cast a ballot. Almost 160 million people were eligible to vote in this election.
Why is Jair Bolsonaro not on the ballot?
Jair Bolsonaro, 71, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2023, is barred from standing for office and is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Because of recurrent health problems he is under house arrest rather than in a cell, and he is prohibited from posting on social media or making public statements. At the launch of his son’s campaign, an AI-generated avatar of Jair Bolsonaro endorsed the candidacy, and Brazil’s Supreme Court questioned the use of the deepfake.
What does Lula’s record look like?
Lula has been president three times, serving consecutive terms from January 2003 to December 2010, when he left office with approval ratings above 80% and was credited with lifting millions out of poverty through the Bolsa Família cash-transfer programme. His party was later hit by major corruption scandals. He spent more than 18 months in prison between 2018 and 2019 after convictions for corruption and money laundering that he has always denied; those convictions were annulled in 2021, clearing his path to the 2022 election, which he won by 1.8 percentage points over Jair Bolsonaro. He had said his third term would be his last, but the Workers’ Party endorsed him again for a fourth term on 4 October.
Where does Lula stand on the Amazon and the US?
Satellite data indicates that deforestation in the Amazon in the first half of 2026 fell to its lowest level in a decade, which Lula’s government cites as evidence its policies are working. Environmentalists have criticised Lula’s support for exploratory oil drilling in offshore waters near the mouth of the Amazon. Lula says he remains committed to eventually phasing out fossil fuels and argues that oil revenues are key to financing Brazil’s transition to clean energy. Relations with US President Donald Trump have been rocky; referring to what Trump calls the “Donroe doctrine”, Lula has insisted that “Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard”.
Frequently asked questions
Who is running against Lula in Brazil’s election?
Eleven candidates are challenging incumbent Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, with right-winger Flávio Bolsonaro the most prominent and the only challenger polling in double figures.
When would a Brazilian presidential run-off take place?
If no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes in the first round on 4 October, the top two contenders go to a run-off on 25 October.
Why can’t Jair Bolsonaro run for president?
The 71-year-old former president is barred from office and is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. He is under house arrest and banned from posting on social media or making public statements.
How many Brazilians are eligible to vote and who must vote?
Almost 160 million people were eligible. Voting is compulsory for literate citizens aged between 18 and 70, with a fine for those who do not cast a ballot, while Brazilians aged 16 and over are entitled to vote.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
