From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Polls close in Brazil election pitting Lula against Flavio Bolsonaro
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Polling stations have closed in Brazil’s first-round election featuring a nail-biter presidential race between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Results are expected within a few hours of polls closing due to the vast nation’s electronic voting system.
From the Amazon rainforest to the agricultural heartlands in the south and sprawling urban favelas, Brazilians queued to cast their vote, many of them fed up with familiar choices.
Lula, almost 81, is seeking a fourth term in an election which he has branded a battle between democracy and “barbarism,” warning voters that Brazil’s sovereignty is at stake in the face of US pressure.
He is facing a tough battle against right-wing senator Bolsonaro, 45, eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election bid.
Little known until a few months ago, Flavio Bolsonaro, who describes himself as more moderate than his firebrand father, has vowed to “rescue” Brazil from Lula, corruption, high taxes and crime.
Opinion surveys show neither Lula or Bolsonaro are likely to score more than 50 percent — the threshold required to win in the first round. They are neck-and-neck if the vote goes to a runoff on October 25.
The Times of Israel Community.