BRASÍLIA, Brazil – Brazil’s presidential election is heading to a second round after Flávio Bolsonaro finished first and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva placed second in Sunday’s vote, with neither candidate securing the majority required to win outright.
The runoff between the two candidates will take place on October 25, according to Brazil’s electoral calendar. The Superior Electoral Court, or TSE, had set October 4 for the first round and October 25 for a possible second round.
With almost all sections counted, Flávio was ahead of Lula by roughly 47% to 45% of valid votes in the latest TSE-based totals reported after the first round. The exact percentages remained subject to final totalization, but the order of the two leading candidates had been established.
Flávio finishes first but does not win
Brazil’s presidential election requires a candidate to obtain more than half of the valid votes to avoid a runoff.
Flávio’s first-place finish therefore did not make him president. Because neither he nor Lula crossed the required threshold, the two candidates advance to a new vote in which the presidency will be decided.
The TSE explains that the second round is contested only by the two candidates who finish first and second in the initial vote. Each round is treated as an independent electoral contest.
Lula advances after finishing second
Lula, the incumbent president, finished behind Flávio and will now seek another term in the October 25 runoff.
The result puts Lula in a direct contest with the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whose political movement remains a major force in Brazilian politics.
Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term. Flávio, a senator from Rio de Janeiro, is running for the presidency for the first time.
Result differs from final pre-election polling
The first-round result also differed from the final polling picture.
A Datafolha survey published two days before voting showed Lula at 45% of valid votes and Flávio at 40%, with other candidates accounting for the remaining share.
The actual first-round count instead placed Flávio ahead of Lula.
That difference is a description of the polling and election results, not evidence that either candidate is favored in the runoff. The October 25 vote will be decided by a new count of valid votes.
Runoff resets the presidential race
The runoff changes the structure of the contest from a multi-candidate election to a direct choice between Flávio and Lula.
The first-round candidates who were eliminated will no longer appear on the presidential ballot. Their voters, along with those who abstained or otherwise did not participate in the first round, form part of the electorate for the second vote under Brazil’s electoral rules.
Both campaigns now have three weeks to campaign for the runoff.
The first-round result establishes who reached the final stage. It does not determine who will win it.
A divided first-round map
The first-round vote also showed strong regional differences.
TSE-based regional results showed Lula maintaining a substantial advantage across the Northeast, while Flávio led across much of the South, Southeast and Center-West. The regional pattern gives the runoff a different electoral geography from the first round, but it does not by itself establish which candidate will prevail nationally.
The distribution of votes for candidates eliminated in the first round will also become important as the two finalists seek to broaden their support.
Election authority continues finalization
The TSE has been publishing presidential vote totals and section-level ballot information through its official results system. The court says the results are available in real time as the votes are totalized.
Brazil had about 158.8 million registered voters eligible for the 2026 general election, according to the TSE. The October 25 runoff will determine the president and vice president, as well as governors in states where a second round is required.
What comes next
The immediate political contest is now between two candidates: Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula.
The first round has settled the finalists but not the presidency. The next decisive event will be the October 25 runoff, when Brazilian voters choose between the two candidates who emerged from Sunday’s vote.
No result from the first round establishes a winner for the second.
Reporting Credit: Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE); official Brazilian electoral authorities; official election results and electoral regulations; Lula campaign statements; Flávio Bolsonaro campaign statements; Datafolha polling data and methodology.
