Brazil election results live: Lula and Bolsonaro locked in a tight race

Brazil election results updates: Lula and Bolsonaro locked in a tight race | Elections News | Al Jazeera

Advertisement

Skip linksSkip to Content

Live

Navigation menu

* News

+ Africa
+ Asia
+ US & Canada
+ Latin America
+ Europe
+ Asia Pacific
* Middle East
* Explained
* Sport
* Opinion
* Video
* + Originals
+ Features
+ Economy
+ Human Rights
+ Climate Crisis
+ Investigations
+ Interactives
+ In Pictures
+ Science & Technology
+ Podcasts
+ Travel
+ Sponsored Content

Live

Brazil election results updates: Lula and Bolsonaro locked in a tight race

*These were the updates on the Brazilian general election for Sunday, October 4, 2026.*

!(COMBO) This combination of file pictures created on Setember 29, 2026, shows Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on September 16, 2026; and Brazil's right-wing Presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro at the Maracanazinho gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 22, 2026.

*Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro have been neck and neck in pre-election polls \[File: AFP]*



By Tamara Khandaker and Brian Osgood

Published On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026

Save

Share

*This live page is now closed.*

* 6m ago

(01:00 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

Thank you for joining us for our coverage of Brazil’s election results.

Find out how one of the largest fraud scandals in modern Brazilian history may have affected the presidential race here.

Find out why this election was so polarised here.

* 21m ago

(00:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a quick recap of the election and the results:

+ Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, will advance to a runoff election on October 25 since neither won 50 percent or more in today’s general election.
+ Bolsonaro fared better than expected, securing more than 47 percent of the vote compared to Lula’s 44.74 percent with more than 97 percent of votes counted.
+ Lula and Bolsonaro now have three weeks to reach moderate voters who did not support them in the first round.
+ Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Jair Bolsonaro and stepmother of presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, won a Senate seat.
+ While Lula and Bolsonaro progress to a runoff, right-wing parties, led by Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, are on track to notch big wins in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies – the two houses of the country’s legislature.
* 36m ago

(00:30 GMT)

Bolsonaro could benefit from conservative consolidation in runoff



By Lucia Newman

Reporting from Sao Paolo

Both candidates will need to get more votes in the second round, including Flavio Bolsonaro’s camp.

But they will probably have an easier time because a lot of those who didn’t vote for either Bolsonaro or Lula, but for smaller candidates — there are about five or six percent of voters who voted for conservative candidates rather than the two main candidates — will most likely vote for Bolsonaro over the left-wing candidate who they know and are tired of.

Advertisement

* 1h ago

(00:05 GMT)

!Houthi

Bolsonaro and Lula head to runoff: electoral authorities

Brazil’s electoral authority has said that Lula and Bolsonaro will advance to a runoff on October 25.

With more than 97 percent of votes tallied, Bolsonaro leads with 47.45 percent of valid votes in the first round, compared to 44.66 percent for the leftist president Lula.

That result represents a stronger showing than many polls had projected for Bolsonaro.

!Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro speaks after voting during general elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Lucas Landau)

*Opposition presidential candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro speaks after voting during general elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, October 4, 2026 \[Lucas Landau/AP Photo]*

* 1h ago

(23:50 GMT)

Former President Jair Bolsonaro’s wife wins Senate seat

Election authorities have confirmed that Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of former President Jair Bolsonaro and stepmother of presidential candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, won a Senate seat in the Federal District, home to the capital, Brasilia.

A devout evangelical, the 44-year-old has never previously held public office.

In June, Michelle Bolsonaro had a very public falling out with her stepson, whom she accused of disrespecting her in lengthy videos posted on her social media. The pair later made up.

She has called her candidacy “a mission” entrusted by her husband, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest following his conviction for an attempted coup.

!Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro leaves after voting in Brazil’s general election, in Brasilia, Brazil, October 4, 2026. REUTERS/Diego Herculano

*Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of former President Jair Bolsonaro leaves after voting in Brazil’s general election, in Brasilia, Brazil, October 4, 2026. \[Diego Herculano/Reuters]*

* 1h ago

(23:30 GMT)

Vote underscores growing strength of far right across Latin America



By Lucia Newman

Reporting from Sao Paulo

Lula da Silva, the current president who is 81 and hoping for a fourth and what would clearly be a final presidential term, is now inching up again, with about 42.2 percent of the vote. That’s a long way behind Flavio Bolsonaro, but enough if this trend continues, to lead this into a run-off in about three weeks’ time.

That’s certainly what everybody had expected, but most people thought that this was going to be a much, much closer election, and that Lula would in fact be ahead by about two percentage points, maybe even more.

Flavio Bolsonaro, therefore, is doing much better than originally predicted, more than what the polls had said and more than what the pundits believed. And this seems to be the trend in the region: The population is moving more towards the far right than it ever has before. It happened in neighbouring countries, and it appears to be happening now.

* 1h ago

(23:15 GMT)

!Analysis

Strong showing for right-wing candidates in legislature spells trouble for political left

While Lula and Bolsonaro are projected to advance to a second round of voting, right-wing parties, led by Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, are on track to notch big wins in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies – the two houses of the country’s legislature.

Andre Pagliarini, an assistant professor of history and international studies at Louisiana State University and the author of a book on Lula, says that Sunday’s results indicate that the political project of the Bolsonaros, referred to as Bolsonarismo, has made deep inroads in the country.

“The fact that far-right candidates for the legislature have exceeded all expectations suggests a deeper popular grounding for the bolsonarista project than many expected,” Pagliarini told Al Jazeera via text.

“It helps explain how Flavio Bolsonaro endured an interminable litany of scandals. Millions of Brazilians right now evidently feel the right best reflects their values and vision for the future.

“These results make clear that Lula was the dam holding back a reactionary onslaught in Brazil. It is unclear if he can stem the tide this time as he did in 2022,” he said. And it is “even more uncertain if anyone else in the progressive camp can effectively fight back in 2030”.

* 2h ago

(22:45 GMT)

Photos show voters in Brazil awaiting results

!The shadow of a supporter of Brazilian President and Workers’ Party candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is cast on a screen as people wait for results after polls closed in Brazil’s general election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Octob