Brazil holds presidential vote as Lula faces Bolsonaro challenge
22:53, 04/10/2026, SundayU: Update: 23:00, 04/10/2026, Sunday
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Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) casts his ballot at Municipal School Barao Homem de Mello in the Vila Isabel neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 4, 2026.Nearly 159 million eligible voters across Brazil are casting ballots in Sunday's general elections to choose the nation's president, state governors and lawmakers, with incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leading a crowded field of 12 candidates.
Voting opened across Brazil on Sunday morning as nearly 159 million eligible voters began casting ballots in general elections to choose the nation's president, state governors and federal lawmakers, with incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro leading a crowded field of 12 presidential candidates.
Electoral system
Polling stations opened at 8 am local time and are scheduled to close at 5 pm, with Lula of the Workers' Party and Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party leading opinion polls as the only candidates holding double-digit support.
Brazilian electoral law requires a presidential candidate to secure more than 50 percent of valid votes to win outright, and should no candidate reach that threshold the top two finishers will advance to a runoff scheduled for October 25.
Down-ballot races
Voters are also selecting governors and vice governors for the country's 26 states and Federal District, alongside all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies, two-thirds of the Federal Senate, and members of state legislatures. The campaign has been marked by sharp political divisions over public security, economic management and foreign policy, while Brazil's electronic voting machines allow official results to begin being released shortly after polls close.