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Brazil 2026 election live: Lula and Bolsonaro in tight race
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That’s a wrap
Thank you for joining our live coverage of the Brazilian general election, featuring a heated presidential race between right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and the leftist President Lula. This live page is now closed. An estimated 33.4 million voters did not cast a ballot in Brazil’s general electi…
Here’s what happened today
Here’s a quick recap of the main developments from today’s election in Brazil: Millions of Brazilian voters queued in long lines in the rain to cast their ballots in the second round of the presidential election between President Lula and Senator Bolsonaro. Leading up to the election, polls have sh…
erienewsnow.com
Lula voter touts president’s ability to attract undecideds
Opinion polls from the final week of Brazil’s runoff campaign have been neck and neck, predicting a tie or one-point lead for challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. Since the first round on October 4, the key for the campaign of incumbent president Lula has been to attract undecided voters and abstainers. Ma…
Brazil’s right vs left showdown: What matters to Brazilian voters?
Today’s vote in Brazil will help determine which direction Latin America’s most populous democracy is headed. What issues are weighing on the minds of Brazilian voters, as up to 160 million of them head to the polls for the second time this month? “Feelings of insecurity, both criminal insecurity a…
Gender and age play a large part in who voters are supporting
The results of the election are expected to be close, a reflection of the high degree of polarisation seen in Brazil. So, are there any particular demographics or other reasons that explain whether someone votes for Bolsonaro or Lula? The candidates enjoy slight advantages by geography, but there a…
Lula asks for voting hours extension, says public transport unavailable in some areas
Many people had been “barred from voting” after buses were taken out of circulation in Sao Paulo and several other cities, President Lula said, according to the AFP. “We are asking the Supreme Court to extend the electoral process so that those who were effectively barred from voting, due to the di…
Bolsonaro wouldn’t be submissive to Trump, argues one voter
One of the biggest talking points surrounding Brazil’s presidential election is the proximity of far-right challenger Bolsonaro to US President Donald Trump’s administration, and concerns about Brazil’s sovereignty in the event of a Bolsonaro victory. During a Bolsonaro rally in Sao Paulo on Octobe…
The election shows how difficult it is to regulate misinformation online
Brazil has some of the toughest laws, on paper, when it comes to restricting disinformation online or the use of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to sway voters. But this election has shown those laws might not always work out: Lula and Bolsonaro have both accused each other of spr…
Lula voters support the social programmes he’s championed
Speaking outside their polling station in their adopted city of Sao Paulo, Anderson and Valber, who preferred not to provide their last names, describe themselves as “children of public policy”. “I had a very poor upbringing, my family received Bolsa Familia [welfare payments], and the only reason…
Only two hours to go
Voters have two hours to cast their ballots. Stay tuned here for the latest on Brazil’s presidential election.
Trump says he’s watching election
The US president declined to endorse anyone in the Brazilian election outright, saying, “I don’t want to get into that” but added, “We are watching”.
Voter says Lula’s Workers’ Party is ‘far too radical’
One presence hanging over today’s runoff in Brazil is far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio’s father. Currently serving a prison sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup d’etat after losing his 2022 re-election bid, Jair’s involvement in his eldest son’s campaign has been purel…
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed: Voters across Brazil are lining up at polling sites to make their voices heard in today’s pivotal run-off election. One of those voters was Brazil’s incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who cast his ballot a few hours ago. A voter in Sao Paulo spoke to Al Jaze…
mdjonline.com
2 more NewsBreak articles
What would a Bolsonaro presidency look like?
Flavio Bolsonaro has spoken about very harsh measures to curtail crime and drug trafficking. He says that criminals will either go to prison or they will be neutralised, in other words, killed. He is talking about a very close relationship with the Trump administration, possibly even withdrawing fr…
Photos: Brazilians cast their ballots
A supporter of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva lines up to vote in Brasilia on Sunday [Eraldo Peres/AP Photo]Voting at a polling station in the Copacabana neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro [Mauro Pimentel/AFP]Casting her ballot in Rio’s Copacabana neighbourhood on Sunday [Mauro Pimentel/AFP]Voter…
pbs.org
“It’s not left versus right anymore. It’s democracy against backsliding,” says one voter
In Sao Paulo, today’s vote comes in the wake of Saturday’s gigantic pro-Lula rally in the centre of Brazil’s biggest city, with the ruling Workers’ Party claiming a total attendance of over two million people. While Bolsonaro came out on top overall in the October 4 first round, President Lula held…
Brazil has used electronic voting for 30 years
Electoral fraud used to be a serious problem in Brazil, with ballot boxes being stuffed before voting even began, or stolen after voting. In 1996, the country started using electronic machines for casting votes, and in 2000 the first national election took place using the machines. Brazilian offici…
Brazil may be less interested in ‘unified’ Latin America as counterweight to the US
Michael Ahn Paarlberg, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, says that due to the changes in the political landscape in Brazil, the world’s 10th-largest economy could be less interested in more regional integration with fellow Latin American nations to cou…
What happens if Lula and Bolsonaro are exactly tied?
Brazil has an electronic voting system, so counting the votes is something very fast. As soon as the voting polls close, the counting begins. Whoever wins, it’s expected it will be by a very small majority. There was even news in the press about what happens if both of them have the exact same numb…
When are results expected?
It is an electronic voting system. Results will come in probably two to three hours after the polling stations close. It’s incredibly quick here and people are biting their nails. They really don’t know who is going to win and they are such different candidates. It’s continuity or a major political…
Voters are sometimes wearing who they are voting for
What people wear can tell you exactly how they are voting. People who wear yellow and green, the colours of the Brazilian flag, are usually voting for Bolsonaro. Those who wear red are voting for Lula. It’s not illegal in this country to show that, to show what your preference is. In other countrie…
WATCH: Amazon rainforest’s future at stake in election
Members of Brazil’s Indigenous communities say they’re concerned how the outcome of the election could impact the environment, including one of the world’s most precious ecosystems: the Amazon rainforest. Watch what they told Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew:
Polls show that many Brazilians want political change
Anti-incumbency has led to a series of changes in government across South America in recent years, in almost all cases in favour of the continent’s right wing. In the wake of right-wing victories in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and others, Brazil’s Lula is battling against a disparate desire for “cha…
The Trump administration has been pushing for the Bolsonaro family to return to power
The Bolsonaro family, including Flavio and his jailed father Jair, has long had backers in the Trump administration. President Donald Trump himself called Flavio’s performance in the first round of voting “a very, very big victory”, although he stopped short of outright endorsing him. How exactly h…
reuters.com
What happened in Lula and Bolsonaro’s run-off debates?
Bolsonaro and Lula have debated each other twice since this month’s first-round election. Both candidates, seeking to win over undecided voters, struck a calmer tone in their most recent one on Friday as they questioned each other on Brazil’s economy, infrastructure and regional development. But it…
Lula casts his vote
Lula has voted in the Brazilian presidential election. “I am thankful to the Brazilian people. What people did to me in recent days is something I cannot repay,” he said before casting his vote and holding Brazil’s flag in front of the cameras, the Associated Press reports.
Lula’s supporters wait for his arrival
Supporters of Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wait for his arrival to vote in Sao Paulo state on Sunday [AFP]
Why social media has become an election issue in Brazil’s presidential race
In the race to be Brazil’s next president, the final two candidates have appealed to voters not only at rallies, but online as well. Questions have festered about whether the digital arena has been a level playing field for the two candidates. The social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook, Whats…
Consequences of Bolsonaro win ‘will be heard all over the world’
Dr Vinicius Rodrigues Vieira, an associate professor of economics and international relations at Brazil’s Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, says a win by Bolsonaro will have global impacts, with the biggest benefactor being US President Donald Trump. “Brazil, should Mr Bolsonaro win tonight, wil…
‘In the run-off, you vote against the one you don’t want to win’
While Flavio Bolsonaro’s first-round lead over Lula was little more than two points, the far-right candidate’s chances of winning were bolstered by the endorsement of several right-leaning candidates who were disqualified after the first round, such as former Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado. In Sao P…
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- Brazil 2026 election live: Lula and Bolsonaro in tight race
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