Deutsche Welle
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Dmytro Hubenko, Wesley Rahn
With votes being counted in Brazil following the presidential election on Sunday, populist Senator Flavio Bolsonaro was leading the race ahead of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
asserted
Bolsonaro → count → Silva
Bolsonaro seeks to continue the right-wing populist movement started by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, while Lula is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term.
asserted
Lula → seek → term
With more than 99% of the ballots processed, Flavio Bolsonaro has received 47.2% of the vote.
asserted
Bolsonaro → process → vote
Lula has 45%, according to the electoral court.
uncertain
Lula → have → court
Since neither candidate received enough votes to win outright on Sunday, the court announced that Bolsonaro and Lula will face each other in a runoff.
asserted
Bolsonaro → receive → runoff
Bolsonaro is monitoring the vote count in Brasilia, the country's capital, while Lula is following it from Sao Paulo.
asserted
Lula → monitor → Paulo
Because Brazil uses electronic voting machines, final results are expected to be available within several hours of the polls closing.
asserted
polls → use → hours
You can watch our livestream on the Brazil election results below.
asserted
You → watch → results
Right gains momentum in Brazil
asserted
Right → gain → Brazil
Fabio de Sa e Silva, a professor of Brazilian studies at the University of Oklahoma, told DW that the right was currently on the rise in Brazil, making it difficult for Lula to change the course of the election.
asserted
Lula → tell → election
"He still has a chance, based on the numbers, but the momentum is with the right," said de Sa e Silva.
asserted
Silva → have → right
"The big news tomorrow will be not that we have a runoff... but it is a takeover that happened in Congress by the far-right," the researcher said.
asserted
researcher → have → right
He added that it will be very hard for Lula to govern with Brazil's new Congress, even if he eventually secures another term.
asserted
he → add → term
Lula vows to 'defeat the far right'
asserted
Lula → vow → right
Lula and Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday in Brazil's economic powerhouse state of Sao Paulo.
asserted
Lula → wrap → Paulo
The 80-year-old Lula capped off his campaign with a tour through the city of Sao Paulo, vowing to "defeat the far right."
asserted
Lula → cap → right
Organizers said some 150,000 of Lula's supporters turned up for the rally in Brazil's largest city.
asserted
150,000 → say → city
Lula has campaigned on continuing his left-leaning Workers' Party platform, comprising welfare programs, state-funded development and income redistribution.
asserted
Lula → campaign → programs
"The people will have to choose between strengthening the democratic regime and barbarism ... between progress and backwardness," he said as he cast his ballot on Sunday.
asserted
he → have → Sunday
Bolsonaro calls for 'change'
Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has served as the Liberal Party's senator for Rio de Janeiro since 2019.
asserted
Bolsonaro → call → 2019
On Saturday, he led a motorcycle parade through Sao Paulo's countryside cities of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana.
asserted
he → lead → Barbara
He also held up a portrait of his father, while the crowd shouted "mito" — a Portuguese word for "legend" that Jair Bolsonaro's supporters use to refer to him.
asserted
supporters → hold → him
The right-wing Bolsonaro has campaigned on hardline security policies and tax cuts, emphasizing high cost of living under Lula, who he has slammed as "incompetent.
asserted
he → campaign → incompetent
"
"Brazil needs change," the son of the former president said as he cast his vote.
asserted
he → need → vote
"Brazil cannot bear any more suffering, such as high taxes, so many women killed."
asserted
women → bear → taxes
The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence in prison for attempting a coup to overturn his loss to Lula in the 2022 presidential election.
asserted
Bolsonaro → serve → election
Flavio Bolsonaro has vowed to pardon his father if elected.
asserted
Bolsonaro → vow → father
Lula's team has cast the Bolsonaro movement as a threat to Brazil's sovereignty, pointing to Flavio and Jair's ties with US President Donald Trump, who last year slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in response to Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial.
asserted
who → cast → trial
The US president called the case a "witch hunt."
asserted
president → call → case
The younger Bolsonaro has said in interviews he is "more moderate" than his father, who he has nevertheless said will remain "my compass, my point of reference."
asserted
he → say → reference
Policies where both Bolsonaros are similar include relaxed gun control laws and skepticism of human-caused climate change.
asserted
Bolsonaros → include → change
Trump has not endorsed the senator, but has said he is watching the election "very closely."
What happens next?
Brazil finds itself politically divided, and campaigning has been bitter, with online operations from both sides seizing on every gaffe, accusation and rumor, quickly producing slick videos or AI-generated images for social media.
In September, it was revealed Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion tied to the financing of a biopic about his father.
asserted
Bolsonaro → endorse → father
He has denied any misconduct.
asserted
He → deny → misconduct
The latest polling for the first round of voting shows Lula at 46% and Bolsonaro at 45%, according to the Brazilian data intelligence and public opinion research firm Quaest cited by Reuters news agency.
uncertain
polling → show → agency
In the case of a run-off, the Quaest poll shows Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 44%.
asserted
poll → show → %
In 2022, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by only 1.8 percentage points.
asserted
Lula → beat → points
Along with voting for president, Brazil's 160 million registered voters are also choosing other lawmakers, governors, and some senators.
asserted
voters → vote → lawmakers
If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.
asserted
you → rely → news
The Aporia
