World
• Analysis
Brazil presidential run-off under way as Lula seeks fourth term in his 'final battle'
Brazilians are voting across the country in a presidential run-off between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, with 158 million voters deciding the race after a three-week, highly charged campaign.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 25, 2026
• 2 Min Read
Polls have opened across Brazil in the presidential run-off, with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro facing each other and the country's 158 million voters deciding the outcome. Lula, a former labour leader, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in what he has framed as his final battle.
Where the race stands
The two candidates enter voting day in a dead heat in the polls after a highly charged run-off campaign period. The first-round result made the incumbent the underdog:
- •Flavio Bolsonaro took 47% in the October 4 first round
- •Lula finished on 45%
The challenger and his pledges
Flavio Bolsonaro is a right-wing senator and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump. He campaigns on a hardline security stance and cost-of-living improvements, and has vowed to "send Lula into retirement".
"send Lula into retirement"
He has also pledged that his first act, if elected, will be to pardon his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest. Jair Bolsonaro was convicted for his role in a 2022 attempted coup, when his supporters stormed parliament after his electoral defeat to Lula.
Momentum and the regional backdrop
The three-week run-off campaign energised the left, which mobilised in the streets and on social media. A WhatsApp channel dubbed "Lula's Army" now boasts 8.5 million subscribers. Regionally, Donald Trump has signalled his support for hard-right movements across Latin America, where hard-right forces have won recent elections in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
