Brazil’s Big Vote‑Day: Lula vs. Bolsonaro Nail‑Bitter Race

Sun Oct 04 2026 22:34:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Brazilian voters are casting ballots as Lula squeezes a tight margin over Bolsonaro—results will be in hours, even from abroad.

Polls have closed in Brazil’s hotly contested election. 80‑year‑old Lula and 45‑year‑old Flávio Bolsonaro are neck‑and‑neck, with only a two‑point gap in the BBC poll. The dance will continue in the Senate when 54 seats are up for grabs. Overseas voters in China, Israel, and Japan have already tipped the scales. Results are expected almost instantly thanks to Brazil’s electronic system.

Polls just closed in Brazil. Millions queued in the streets; now the votes are being counted, and the tension is high.

The fight is between 80‑year‑old president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and 45‑year‑old challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. Only a two‑point gap separates them in the latest BBC poll.

Brazil counts from 158 million voters, including those abroad. Results should stream in quickly because ballots are recorded electronically.

If neither gets 50 % of the vote, a run‑off comes on 25 October. The outcome also decides who controls 54 of 81 Senate seats for 2027 – a pivotal power shift.

Across the world, some countries are already tallying. In China, Lula leads 56.6 %; in Israel, Bolsonaro wins 74.4 % of valid votes.

What’s at stake? A Lula win could put America on edge over trade and security, while a Bolsonaro win would solidify a right‑wing boom in Latin America.