Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro speaks after advancing to a runoff election following the first round of the presidential election in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo)
Right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro pulled off a surprise first-place finish ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Oct. 4’s election, which heads to a run-off in three weeks as neither clinched a majority.
In a result that defied opinion poll projections showing Lula in the lead, Flavio Bolsonaro scored 47 percent of the vote to the incumbent’s 45 percent.
If Bolsonaro triumphs in the Oct. 25 election, the Latin American powerhouse will join a steady rightward march in the region in recent elections, a trend championed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The election results included a series of landslide wins for the right in parliament in a massive setback to Lula, who at almost 81 is seeking a fourth term in office to cement his legacy.
“I admit I was convinced I would win in the first round. The game is about to start. In extra time, we will win over the Brazilian people,” the 80-year-old said.
The veteran leftist has branded the election a battle between democracy and “barbarism,” warning voters that Brazil’s sovereignty was at stake in the face of U.S. pressure.
Flavio Bolsonaro was a little-known senator a few months ago when his father anointed him his political heir, unable to run himself as he serves a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup after losing a 2022 election bid.
However, his father’s powerful name won over the country’s conservative base and he slid past Lula despite a campaign marked by scandals and mudslinging.
“I am truly happy with the result,” Flavio Bolsonaro said after results came through, hailing the “very real possibility” of a run-off victory.
With 56 million votes, Flavio Bolsonaro’s first round performance outdid that of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, when he was elected, and 2022.
