More than 158 million Brazilians were eligible to vote in an election marked by the dispute between President Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, with a possible runoff on October 25. Photo: EFE.

Far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro took an early lead in Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday night, with 49.58% of the vote against 42.25% for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after 64.81% of ballots had been counted.

The Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) began releasing its first official bulletins shortly after electronic voting machines stopped accepting ballots at 5 P.M. local time on October 4.

More than 158 million Brazilians were eligible to vote in the general election, which also decided governors, senators, federal deputies and state deputies, in addition to the president and vice president.

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The main contest pits Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL), against Lula, of the Workers’ Party (PT), who is seeking his reelection. Bolsonaro is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for attempting a coup against Lula.

To win in the first round, a candidate for president needs 50% +1 of the valid votes. If that does not happen, there will be a second round of voting on October 25.

NEARLY 65% OF BRAZIL VOTES COUNTED — LULA ABOVE 42% as BOLSONARO SLIPS BELOW 50% https://t.co/jyLIQZ9No5 pic.twitter.com/B8I9vHLRFN

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) October 4, 2026

So far, 79 million votes have been counted at 64.81 polling stations. Lula’s campaign is counting on a shift in the geography of the results. Most of the bulletins counted so far come from the south, a region that has historically favored right-wing parties. The Brazilian President hopes to turn the race around as votes arrive from the northeast, a stronghold of his Workers’ Party (PT).

🇧🇷 Something STRANGE has happened with Brazil’s ELECTION COUNT…

The official TSE tally appears to have been frozen around 65% for roughly an hour, with Bolsonaro on 49.58% and Lula on 42.25%.

And this doesn’t appear to be a browser problem.

Independent sites pulling TSE data… pic.twitter.com/JQZ46Ysi51

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 4, 2026

Echoes of the 2022 Vote

The early count closely resembles the first round of 2022. Back then, Jair Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) led at the start, boosted by votes from the south. Lula moved into first place when roughly 70% of ballots had been counted.

The elder Bolsonaro’s lead peaked at about six points before gradually shrinking. In the end, Lula won that first round by around five points. This time, the former president’s eldest son built a considerably bigger cushion, more than 10 points at the 25% mark, which means Lula needs a stronger northeastern turnout to close the distance.

Partial counts can change substantially as results arrive from different regions, and the figures reported so far are not final.

Michelle Bolsonaro Wins Senate

Brazil’s former First Lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, a candidate for the Liberal Party (PL), was elected as a senator for the Federal District this Sunday, according to electoral clarification data. Michelle Bolsonaro, who entered the contest with number 222, occupies the first place in the dispute for the two vacant Senate seats in the Federal District. With this result, she becames the First former First Lady elected to the upper chamber.

With more than 90% of the ballots filled, Michelle has 845,586 votes, which corresponds to 28.97% of valid votes. Federal deputy Bia Kicis was in the second position of the dispute for the vacancy, reaching 27.38% of the vote.

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