In short
- Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election with 56.1 million votes, or 47.03%, against 53.8 million, or 45.16%, for incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
- The runoff between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula is set for 25 October.
- Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, saw four relatives elected to Congress, including his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, to the senate.
- Bolsonaro’s Liberal party will hold 28 of the senate’s 81 seats, rising to 43 with other hard-right parties, an upper-house majority.
- Nikolas Ferreira and Lucas Pavanato became the best-voted congresspeople in Brazilian history, securing more than 3 million votes.
Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday with 56.1 million votes, or 47.03%, against 53.8 million, or 45.16%, for the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two candidates will meet in a runoff on 25 October.
No first-round runner-up has overturned a deficit in the second round since democracy returned to Brazil in 1985. The result, after polls closed with Lula facing Flávio Bolsonaro, leaves the incumbent 1.87 percentage points behind. “Miracles are possible in politics. But I don’t see that happening,” the political scientist Miguel Lago said of Lula’s chances. “I don’t see Flávio losing this election now.”
How did the Bolsonaro family fare in Congress?
Jair Bolsonaro, the former president serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula, saw four relatives elected. His wife, the 44-year-old Michelle Bolsonaro, won a senate seat, as did his 43-year-old son Carlos Bolsonaro. His youngest son, 28-year-old Jair Renan Bolsonaro, and his 62-year-old brother, Renato Bolsonaro, both won seats in the lower house.
Who else won, and who lost?
Bolsonaro’s Liberal party will have the largest caucus in the senate, with 28 of its 81 seats; with other hard-right parties the bloc reaches 43, an upper-house majority. Tarcísio de Freitas was re-elected governor of São Paulo state and Sérgio Moro was elected governor of Paraná; both served as ministers in Jair Bolsonaro’s 2018-22 government. Nikolas Ferreira and Lucas Pavanato became the best-voted congresspeople in Brazilian history, securing more than 3 million votes. Pro-Lula senate candidates lost, including former environment minister Marina Silva, Benedita da Silva and Simone Tebet.
What would a Senate majority mean for Jair Bolsonaro?
Control of the senate should allow pro-Bolsonaro politicians to approve an amnesty for Jair Bolsonaro, who is living under house arrest in Brasília, according to Lago. “I think he will be freed and I think he will be very important during Flávio Bolsonaro’s [presidency],” Lago said. “Flávio will be running the country and [Jair] Bolsonaro will be doing what he has always done: leading the revolution.” The majority may also help Eduardo Bolsonaro, the ex-president’s 42-year-old third son, return from self-imposed exile in the US; he was sentenced in absentia to four years in prison this year for coercion.
How did foreign leaders react?
Donald Trump, a longtime ally of the Bolsonaro family, said outside the White House on Monday: “Well, it’s a big victory: close but a very, very big victory. Amazing, actually.” Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, celebrated a “historic” victory against “the communist Lula”, and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, wished Bolsonaro “good luck in the final”.
What did Lula say?
Lula said he would launch a new campaign for the runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro on 25 October. “From tomorrow we will launch a new campaign: [and in] a campaign with only two candidates we will be able to show the difference between our proposals for Brazil,” he said, promising to expose his rival’s “dark past”, which includes ties to members of Rio’s underworld and corruption allegations that Bolsonaro has denied.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election?
Flávio Bolsonaro won with 56.1 million votes, or 47.03%, against 53.8 million, or 45.16%, for the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two candidates meet again in a runoff on 25 October.
When is Brazil’s presidential runoff?
The second round is scheduled for 25 October, between Flávio Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
How many senate seats will Bolsonaro’s party hold?
Jair Bolsonaro’s Liberal party will have 28 of the senate’s 81 seats. Combined with other hard-right parties, the bloc reaches 43, giving it an upper-house majority.
Why is Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest?
The former president is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula, and is living under house arrest in Brasília.
With reporting from The Guardian.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
