Brazil’s October 25, 2026 presidential runoff is a contest between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, and right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45.
Lula, a left-winger, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence, under house arrest because of ill health, for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Flávio came top in the first round on October 4, and no candidate who trailed after a first round in Brazil has ever come back to win the second. He has campaigned on a tough crackdown on organized crime, tax and spending cuts, and a pledge to release his father, while Lula’s Workers’ Party has cast the vote as a battle for democracy. About 33 million people did not vote in the first round, so turnout is a major factor. Lula planned to follow results in São Paulo and Bolsonaro in Brasília.
Source: BBC News, Voters in Brazil to choose between Lula and Bolsonaro’s son
Image: Palácio do Planalto, Senado Federal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.