Brazil election results showed Flávio Bolsonaro narrowly ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as officials continued counting ballots from Sunday’s presidential runoff.
At 8 p.m. Brasília time on October 25, with 22.30 per cent of polling sections totalized, Bolsonaro had 13,916,422 votes, or 50.46 per cent of valid ballots, according to figures compiled from files published by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, known as the TSE.
Lula had 13,661,672 votes, representing 49.54 per cent of valid ballots at the same update.
The early margin was 254,750 votes, leaving the contest too close for a result to be declared while most of the country’s 499,248 polling sections remained to be processed.
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What the Brazil election count shows
The partial count does not establish the winner.
Brazil’s electronic voting system releases results as ballot-box records are transmitted and processed, meaning the national standings can change substantially as more regions are added.
The TSE said the 2026 election results would be released through its official results portal and mobile applications, with totalization beginning after voting ended and data from polling sections were received.
The official schedule set voting for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time on October 25.
The second round was required after neither candidate secured more than half of the valid votes in the October 4 first round.
Brazil has nearly 159 million registered voters, according to the TSE’s election information.
The presidency is decided by the candidate who receives the most valid votes in the second round.
How the candidates reached the runoff
Bolsonaro entered the runoff after finishing first in the opening round, while Lula placed second.
The first-round result left the incumbent president facing a direct contest with the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The campaign produced a sharp ideological choice for voters, with the two candidates offering different positions on the role of government, social programmes, public security, environmental policy and Brazil’s relationship with the United States and other major powers.
Bolsonaro’s potential victory would represent a major shift in direction for Latin America’s largest economy and most populous country.
A Lula victory would give the incumbent another term after returning to the presidency in 2023.
When will Brazil know the winner?
The TSE’s guidance on following vote totalization explains that it publishes updates throughout the count rather than waiting for every polling section to report at once.
Because voting is electronic, the national count is generally faster than in countries that rely on paper ballots, but the timing still depends on the arrival and processing of records from polling locations.
The figures available at 8 p.m. Brasília time were still preliminary.
The TSE’s result page warns that numbers can change until totalization is complete, and no winner should be declared from the partial standings alone.
For readers in Toronto, the 8 p.m. Brasília update corresponded to 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, October 25.
What happens after the count
Once the TSE completes the national totalization, the winning presidential ticket will move through the formal certification and diplomatic process required under Brazil’s election rules.
The TSE’s published electoral calendar sets December 18 as the deadline for diplomation of elected officials.
The president and vice-president elected in the 2026 vote are scheduled to take office on January 5, 2027.
Until the count is complete, the central fact of the Brazil election remains the narrow gap between Bolsonaro and Lula in the early national returns rather than a confirmed victory for either candidate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is leading the Brazil election count?
At the latest verified update, Flávio Bolsonaro was narrowly ahead of Lula, with 50.46 per cent of valid votes compared with 49.54 per cent.
How many polling sections had been counted?
The latest update covered 111,347 of Brazil’s 499,248 polling sections, or 22.30 per cent.
Has Brazil declared a winner?
No. The figures remained preliminary, and most polling sections had not yet been totalized at the latest update.
When was Brazil’s 2026 runoff held?
The presidential second round was held on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
When is Brazil’s next president scheduled to take office?
The elected president and vice-president are scheduled to take office on January 5, 2027.
Fact-Checked: Vote totals, counting progress, election dates and the scheduled inauguration date were checked against TSE information and election-result data derived from official TSE files.
Disclaimer: The vote figures are preliminary and may change until Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court completes the national totalization.