BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Lula won Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday, 25 October 2026, with 64,256,232 votes, or 51.79% of the valid vote. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro took 59,826,041 votes (48.21%), a gap of 4,430,191 votes, in the Superior Electoral Court’s final count.
Full analysis
This page is part of our coverage of Brazil’s 2026 election, won by Lula with 51.79% of valid votes.
Full analysis: how Lula won Brazil’s runoff with 51.79% → The state map, the new Congress, markets and three scenarios to May 2027.
Key Facts
- —Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What is happening Lula won the 25 October runoff with 51.79% of valid votes, ending Brazil’s two-round presidential contest.
- —Why it matters Lula’s win keeps Brazil’s left-wing government in place in Latin America’s largest economy for another four years.
- —The numbers Lula 64,256,232 votes (51.79%); Flávio Bolsonaro 59,826,041 (48.21%); margin 4,430,191; turnout 80.78% of 158.7 million voters.
- —Who is who Lula, of the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT), beat Flávio Bolsonaro, a conservative senator and ex-president Jair Bolsonaro’s son.
- —What to watch Official certification by Friday, 18 December, then Lula’s swearing-in on Tuesday, 5 January 2027, for a four-year term.
- —What it means for you Lula’s term runs four years from January 2027, so Brazil’s trade and investment policy stays with him.
Brazil Election Results 2026: Runoff Live Count
Choose a state
Tap any state for its voters, economy and export markets, its governor and Senate races, the 2022 results and the live count.
- Lula 51.8% · Flávio Bolsonaro 48.2% · 100.0% of polling stations counted
With all polling stations counted, Lula has 51.79% of valid votes against 48.21% for Flávio Bolsonaro. The TSE's formal declaration follows.
- Runoff poll data: 45 polls as free CSV, average Flávio 51.0%, Lula 49.0%
Every national runoff poll since 4 October from 21 pollsters, as CSV and embeddable charts. Flávio leads in 39 of 45 polls.
- On the Run, Flávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro landed at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami on 28 October after leaving Brazil under a court order to hand in his passports.
- Prosecutor Wants Pará Winner Barred
The Electoral Prosecutor's Office asked Pará's court to rule governor-elect Daniel Santos ineligible for eight years over a free eye-care project in five towns.
- Trump Cites Brazil in Texas Vote-Rigging Jab
Trump told a Texas rally Brazil is doing a pretty good job also while attacking US Democrats over elections, two days after Lula won.
- Flávio Bolsonaro Leaves Brazil for the US
Brazil's defeated runoff candidate is reported to have left for the United States after the Federal Police cancelled his regular and diplomatic passports.
- Brazil's Real Recovers After Election Rout
Brazil’s real recovered 1.07% against the US dollar after Monday’s jump of more than 8%, but Citigroup and BCA Research stay wary of Brazilian assets.
- Flávio Bolsonaro Misses Passport Deadline
Flávio Bolsonaro missed a 24-hour deadline to surrender passports after a Supreme Court order in a sealed money laundering inquiry.
- Rare Earths Cited in Brazil Election Probe
A Supreme Court order asks Brazil's Federal Police to investigate whether foreign interest in rare earths is tied to political funding in the election.
- Bolsonaro Passports Cancelled
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro missed a 27 October deadline to surrender his passports to the Federal Police, and the passports are reportedly cancelled.
- Trump Calls Brazil Election Rigged
Trump said Brazil's runoff 'looked like another rigged election' and offered no evidence. The real lost about 8 percent against the dollar on Monday.
- Bolsonaro's Party Wins Zero Runoffs
The Liberal Party ends Brazil's 2026 governor races with six states but no runoff wins, while Lula's PT holds four and the PSD five.
- Petrobras Sheds US$24B in Value on Lula Win
Brazil’s Petrobras fell from US$159.8 billion to US$135.6 billion in one session after Lula’s re-election, as the real weakened and dividends stayed scheduled.
Federal Senate · 81 seats
Chamber of Deputies · 513 seats
- Sunday, 25 October, 7 a.m. ETRunoff polls open (8 a.m. Brasília, 11:00 Lisbon).
- Sunday, 25 October, 4 p.m. ETPolls close (5 p.m. Brasília, 20:00 Lisbon, after Europe's clock change). The TSE starts publishing the official count.
- Sunday eveningIn 2022 about 97% of the vote was counted by roughly 9:30 p.m. Brasília time (8:30 p.m. ET).
- Sunday, October 25Runoff for president, and for governor in states where no candidate passed 50% of valid votes.
- January 5 and 6, 2027The president takes office on January 5, the governors on January 6.
- President and governorsmore than 50% of valid votes, else a runoff
- Senate54 of 81 seats, two per state, no runoff
- Blank and null ballotsdo not count toward 50%
- Votingcompulsory, electronic machines
Every presidential election since 2002 has gone to a runoff.
Change against 2022 compares the gap between Lula and the Bolsonaro candidate with the 2022 first round (Lula against Jair Bolsonaro). Tap a column to sort.
Brazil has about 30 parties, and their names can mislead: the Liberal Party (PL) is the main party of the right, and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is centre-right. Several mid-sized parties form the Centrão (“big centre”), a loose bloc without a single leader that trades its votes in Congress for posts and budget money and has backed governments of left and right.
Sources: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE), official results (resultados.tse.jus.br), candidate lists and the 2022 results by state (TSE open data, votes by municipality); IBGE (state boundaries, 2025 population estimate, regional GDP); Comex Stat, Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (exports 2025); polling institutes as named; Senate (inauguration dates). Percentages are shares of valid votes, as the TSE reports them. The Rio Times does not call races: a winner or a runoff is shown only once the TSE declares it.
Final Result of Brazil’s Runoff
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Brazil’s top election authority, counted all 499,248 polling sections on the night of Sunday, 25 October. Its national file, stamped 11:26 p.m. Brasília time, gives Lula 64,256,232 votes and Flávio Bolsonaro 59,826,041.
Valid votes, the ones counted in the percentages, total 124,082,273 and leave out blank and null ballots. Blank votes were 1,430,496 (1.12% of ballots cast) and null votes 2,723,305 (2.12%).
Of 158,745,502 registered voters, 128,236,074 cast a ballot, a turnout of 80.78%. Abstention was 30,509,005 voters, or 19.22%, against a first-round turnout of 78.92% on Sunday, 4 October.
How the Vote Shifted After the First Round
In the first round on 4 October, Flávio Bolsonaro led with 56,104,503 votes (47.03%) against 53,879,538 (45.16%) for Lula. Neither passed 50% of valid votes, so the two went to a runoff.
Lula added 10,376,694 votes between the rounds and Flávio Bolsonaro added 3,721,538. A first-round deficit of 2,224,965 votes became a runoff lead of 4,430,191, about 3.6 percentage points.
Which States Did Each Candidate Win?
Lula won 13 states: the nine of the Northeast, plus Amazonas, Amapá, Pará and Minas Gerais. Minas Gerais went to him by 109,313 votes, with 50.43%.
Flávio Bolsonaro won 13 states and the Federal District, which holds the capital, Brasília. He took 53.85% in São Paulo and 53.10% in Rio de Janeiro, while Lula won Bahia with 6,485,258 votes to 2,608,761.
What Happens Next?
The electoral courts certify the winners in a ceremony called the diplomação. The 2026 electoral calendar puts it by 18 December.
Lula then takes office on Tuesday, 5 January 2027, under the Constitution as amended in 2021. Governors follow on Wednesday, 6 January 2027.
It will be Lula’s fourth term as president, after two terms from 2003 to 2010 and one from 2023 to 2026. Our what happens next guide tracks the transition.
What It Means for You
For US investors and exporters, Lula’s re-election means continuity in Brasília until the new term ends in January 2031. Brazil’s central bank price for the dollar rose from 5.0377 reais on Friday, 23 October, to 5.5007 on Monday, 26 October.
That is a rise of about 9.2% in the dollar’s price in reais. The rate was 5.4212 on Friday, 30 October (one real is about US$0.18).
The Selic interest rate decision follows on Wednesday, 4 November. It is covered in Brazil Expected to Hold Rates at 13.75%.
More is on the Brazil hub, in the complete election guide and in the election data room. See also how the final polls compared and the results as they came in.
What Is Not Known
Whether Flávio Bolsonaro’s side has filed any challenge to the result with the TSE was not confirmed from the court’s own records. No official date has been confirmed for Lula’s cabinet announcements.
The 18 December certification date comes from the 2026 electoral calendar as listed by Brazilian news sites. The TSE calendar page itself was not opened.
State figures are TSE counts inside Brazil only. Overseas ballots count in the national total but in no state.
What to Watch Next
- Wednesday, 4 November: Brazil’s central bank announces its Selic decision.
- Friday, 18 December: deadline for the electoral courts to certify the winners.
- Tuesday, 5 January 2027: Lula is sworn in; Wednesday, 6 January 2027: governors take office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Brazil’s 2026 presidential runoff?
Lula won the runoff on Sunday, 25 October 2026, with 51.79% of valid votes. Flávio Bolsonaro took 48.21%, according to the electoral court’s final count.
What were the final results of the Brazil runoff?
Lula received 64,256,232 votes and Flávio Bolsonaro 59,826,041, a gap of 4,430,191. Turnout was 80.78% of 158,745,502 registered voters.
When does Lula’s new term begin?
Lula takes office on Tuesday, 5 January 2027, for a four-year term. The electoral calendar puts the winners’ certification by 18 December.
How did the runoff differ from the first round?
In the first round on 4 October, Flávio Bolsonaro led 47.03% to 45.16%. In the runoff Lula gained 10,376,694 votes and won by about 3.6 points.
Sources: Superior Electoral Court (TSE) results, national president files for the first round (4 October) and the runoff (25 October 2026), read 3 November 2026; Constitution of Brazil, Article 82 (inauguration date); Banco Central do Brasil (Brazil’s central bank) PTAX dollar rate, accessed 3 November 2026; TSE electoral calendar 2026 (certification date).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: When is the Brazil runoff election. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.