Brazil’s 2026 presidential election will be decided in a runoff between Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The second round is scheduled for Sunday, October 25, 2026.
For English-language live results on election day, use our Brazil Election 2026 live results page.
This article focuses on the two candidates, the official first-round numbers and what those numbers do — and do not — tell us about the runoff.
Official first-round results
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court reported that, with 99.99% of polling stations counted:
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Valid-vote share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flávio Bolsonaro | PL | 56,104,268 | 47.03% |
| Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | PT | 53,876,617 | 45.16% |
The TSE also reported 125,272,513 valid votes in the first round.
Official source: TSE — Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula advance to the second round.
Who is Flávio Bolsonaro?
The TSE describes Flávio Bolsonaro as a lawyer, former state deputy and current senator for Rio de Janeiro.
He is running for president for the first time in 2026.
His party is the Liberal Party (PL), and his vice-presidential running mate is federal deputy Alfredo Gaspar.
For readers outside Brazil, the important election-night detail is that candidate names and party abbreviations will appear in the official count. Our English page preserves those official identifiers while translating the surrounding interface.
Who is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is the incumbent president and is seeking reelection.
The TSE notes that he previously served as president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office for the 2023-2026 term.
His party is the Workers’ Party (PT), and his vice-presidential running mate is Geraldo Alckmin.
Who led the first round?
Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in the official first-round count with 47.03% of valid votes.
Lula finished second with 45.16%.
The difference between them was about 2.23 million votes in the totals reported by the TSE.
But that does not create a vote advantage that carries into the runoff.
Does the first-round result carry over?
No.
The October 25 runoff is a new election.
The first-round result determines which two candidates advance, but the second-round vote decides the presidency.
That means both candidates begin the runoff with no inherited vote total from October 4.
Voters cast a new ballot in the second round.
Why was a second round required?
Neither candidate secured the presidency in the first round, so the two most-voted candidates advanced.
Brazil’s two-round system is designed to narrow the presidential contest to two candidates when the first round does not produce a winner.
For a step-by-step explanation, read How Brazil’s presidential runoff election works in 2026.
When will the runoff happen?
The official TSE calendar schedules the second round for October 25, 2026.
Voting is scheduled from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Brasília time.
After voting closes, polling-station reports can begin to be issued and official results can be processed.
Official source: TSE 2026 election calendar.
What time can Americans follow the results?
On October 25, 5:00 PM in Brasília corresponds to 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 3:00 PM Central Daylight Time, 2:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time and 1:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
Some U.S. locations have time-zone exceptions, so the safest option is to use our live page’s automatic conversion.
See the detailed time-zone guide: What time will Brazil election results start in the U.S.?.
What should readers watch during the count?
Three numbers matter most:
- each candidate’s total votes;
- each candidate’s percentage of valid votes;
- how much of the official count has been processed.
An early lead can change as more votes are included.
FamiliaUSA1 will not label a candidate as the winner simply because that candidate is ahead early in the count.
Our page is designed to follow the official TSE data and distinguish an active count from a finalized result.
Is FamiliaUSA1 endorsing either candidate?
No.
This coverage is informational and nonpartisan.
The purpose of the English-language election project is to make Brazil’s official election data easier to understand for Americans, international readers and bilingual families.
The live page does not recommend a candidate and does not make its own election projection.
Where can I follow the official count in English?
Bookmark:
Brazil Election 2026 Live Results: Presidential Runoff
It will display official vote data through our TSE-backed election service and update automatically as the count progresses.
The page also links directly to Brazil’s official election authority so readers can verify the underlying source.
Bottom line
The October 25 runoff is between Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
Flávio Bolsonaro led the first round with 47.03%, while Lula received 45.16%, according to the TSE.
Those numbers explain how the candidates reached the runoff, but the second round is a new vote.
For election-night numbers, return to the Brazil Election 2026 live results page.