&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Brazil election 2026: Flavio Bolsonaro beats Lula in first round but misses outright win; race heads to runoff")
The contest between Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil elections will head to runoff on October 25 as neither the the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and 80-year-old incumbent, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term, garnered more than 50 per cent required for an outright win. However, poll result on Oct 4 (local time) showed that right-wing senator Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Lula da Silva with 47 percent of the vote, while Lula received 45 percent. This was contrary to the opinion poll projections that showed Lula in the lead. The elections are being watched closely because if Bolsonaro wins on October 25 election, BRazil will join long list of Latin American countries voting pro-Trump leaders.
"I admit I was convinced I would win in the first round. The game is about to start. In extra time, we will win over the Brazilian people," Lula said. "I'm very good at knockout stages."
Flavio Bolsonaro was a little-known senator a few months ago when his father anointed him his political heir. His father Jair Bolsanaro was barred from contesting as he serves a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup after losing a 2022 election bid. "I am truly happy with the result," Flavio Bolsonaro said after results came through, hailing the "very real possibility" of a run-off victory. AFP reported that junior Bolsanaro's first round performance outdid that of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, when he was elected, and 2022.
Also Read: Bolsonaro's son sentenced for lobbying US to impose sanctions on Brazil during father's coup trial
Election campaigns
Both Lula and Bolsanaro are at neck-and-neck and poll results will be hours after polls wrap up. Brazil holds general elections every four years, and voting is mandatory. Those who fail to cast a ballot without justification face a small fine. While Jair Bolsanaro was barred from running as he serves a 27-year-long sentence for a coup attempt, his eldest son has vowed to take forward his father's ultra-conservative agenda. He has campaigned around security policies and pledged to fight the country's criminal groups by building El Salvador-style mega prisons. The veteran leftist Lula has branded the election a battle between democracy and "barbarism," warning voters that Brazil's sovereignty was at stake in the face of US pressure.
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Lula, on the other hand, is banking on his populist pitches, and a sudden crackdown on online betting. He has craved an image of his own worldwide as he protested US President Donald Trump. He even warned the US not to meddle in Brazil's elections. Bolsonaro's victory would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries -- including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru -- that have elected Trump-friendly governments in recent years. Lula has made defending Brazilian sovereignty a major campaign issue. In the days before the election, his team launched a Portuguese version of the Bad Bunny song, "Lo que le paso a Hawaii," which invokes the US colonization of Hawaii as a cautionary tale.
