Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), won Brazil's presidential runoff on 25 October 2026 with 51.79% of valid votes (64,256,232), against 48.21% (59,826,041) for Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL). Three weeks earlier, in the first round, Lula had trailed 45.16% to 47.03%. It was the first time a first-round runner-up won a Brazilian presidential runoff. Lula and his vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), take office on 5 January 2027 for a four-year term that ends on 5 January 2031.
This page is written in English for readers outside Brazil. It is not a machine translation of the Portuguese pages, which go into more detail. Every figure comes from an official source listed at the end. Where something is not yet known, such as the names of new ministers, we say so and give the date we last checked.
Results of both rounds
Brazil elects its president by direct popular vote in up to two rounds. To win, a candidate needs an absolute majority of valid votes. Blank and spoiled (null) ballots do not count as valid (Constitution, art. 77). If nobody passes 50% in the first round, the two leaders meet in a runoff. Voting is compulsory for literate citizens aged 18 to 70, and optional for 16- and 17-year-olds, people over 70 and those who cannot read (art. 14).
Runoff, 25 October 2026
| Candidate | Votes | % of valid votes |
|---|---|---|
| Lula (PT) | 64.256.232 | 51,79% |
| Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) | 59.826.041 | 48,21% |
- Registered voters
- 158.745.502
- Turnout (votes cast)
- 128.236.074
- Abstention
- 30.509.005
- Blank votes
- 1.430.496
- Null votes
- 2.723.305
Fonte: TSE, resultado do 2º turno para presidente, Brasil (arquivo de dados da totalização)
The table above shows the final count by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the body that runs elections in Brazil. Lula won by 4,430,191 votes. Turnout was 128,236,074 voters, or 80.78% of the 158,745,502 people registered to vote. There were 1,430,496 blank votes (1.12% of ballots cast) and 2,723,305 null votes (2.12%).
According to the public news agency Agência Brasil, Lula's total is the largest number of votes ever won by a presidential candidate in Brazil. The previous record was his own, 60,345,999 votes in the 2022 runoff. His share of the vote was not a record: that remains the 61.27% he won in 2002, when the electorate was smaller.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a senator. When the PL nominated him in July 2026, he said that, as the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, he carries on his father's legacy, according to Agência Brasil.
First round, 4 October 2026
| Candidate | Votes | % of valid votes |
|---|---|---|
| Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) | 56.104.503 | 47,03% |
| Lula (PT) | 53.879.538 | 45,16% |
| Augusto Cury (Avante) | 3.448.569 | 2,89% |
| Renan Santos (Missão) | 2.675.887 | 2,24% |
| Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) | 2.605.148 | 2,18% |
| Romeu Zema (Novo) | 326.488 | 0,27% |
| Samara Martins (UP) | 122.911 | 0,10% |
| Hertz Dias (PSTU) | 43.103 | 0,04% |
| Clariana Barao (DC) | 40.043 | 0,03% |
| Edmilson Costa (PCB) | 22.693 | 0,02% |
| Wilson Grassi (Democrata) | 16.881 | 0,01% |
| Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO) | 15.024 | 0,01% |
- Registered voters
- 158.745.502
- Turnout (votes cast)
- 125.275.835
- Abstention
- 33.469.244
- Blank votes
- 2.300.798
- Null votes
- 3.674.249
Fonte: TSE, resultado do 1º turno para presidente, Brasil (arquivo de dados da totalização)
Twelve candidates ran in the first round. Flávio Bolsonaro finished first with 56,104,503 votes (47.03% of valid votes) and Lula second with 53,879,538 (45.16%). Augusto Cury (Avante) was third, with 2.89%. Turnout was 78.92%, and abstention reached 21.08%, or 33,469,244 registered voters.
Between the two rounds, Lula gained 10,376,694 votes and Flávio Bolsonaro gained 3,721,538, according to TSE totals. Abstention fell to 19.22% in the runoff, and blank and null votes also dropped.
State by state
Lula won the runoff in 13 of Brazil's 27 federal units: all nine states of the Northeast, plus Amazonas, Pará, Amapá and Minas Gerais. Flávio Bolsonaro won the other 14, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District. Minas Gerais was the only state that changed sides between rounds: Lula took it with 50.43% after trailing there in the first round. The full map and a table with every state are on our Portuguese page on the 2026 election results.
Challenge to the result
On election night, Flávio Bolsonaro said he would not recognize the result and would ask for the election to be annulled, according to Agência Brasil. He cited a decision by Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Cristiano Zanin, issued close to the 5 p.m. closing time, that extended voting until 7 p.m. after reports of transport problems for voters, especially in Bahia and in the city of São Paulo. After the TSE reported that many ballot boxes had already been closed, the justice clarified that the extension applied only to polling stations still open. According to the Senate news agency, the extension followed a request from Lula's campaign, and Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign had also asked for more time because of rain in Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul.
On 26 October, the PL said in a note by its national president, Valdemar Costa Neto, that it recognizes the result proclaimed by the TSE, while asking for the questions raised to be clarified, according to Agência Brasil.
Separately, before the runoff, Flávio Bolsonaro filed a case at the TSE accusing the Lula and Alckmin campaign of improperly using union and social movement resources. It asks for their registrations or diplomas to be revoked. According to a 16 October report by Rádio Nacional, of the public broadcaster EBC, the court's electoral inspector-general, Justice Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, asked for more details and gave the defendants five days to respond, with no ruling on the merits. As of 27 October 2026, we found no court decision changing the result.
What happens next
The election is over, but several formal steps remain before the new term starts.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 25 October 2026 | Runoff. The TSE announced the result the same night. |
| November and December 2026 | Expected announcements of ministers for the new term |
| By 18 December 2026 | Diplomação: the TSE certifies the president and vice-president elected |
| 5 January 2027 | Inauguration of the president and vice-president in Brasília |
| 6 January 2027 | Inauguration of the 27 state governors |
| 1 February 2027 | New members of Congress take office |
| 5 January 2031 | End of the fourth term |
Diplomação
The diplomação is the electoral courts' formal certification that a candidate was elected. For the president and vice-president, the TSE issues the diplomas. Under TSE Resolution 23.760/2026, which sets the 2026 electoral calendar, the deadline is 18 December 2026. We found no announcement of the exact date of the ceremony when we last checked, on 27 October 2026.
Why 5 January and not 1 January
Until now, Brazilian presidents took office on 1 January. Constitutional Amendment 111, passed in September 2021, moved the date. Article 82 of the Constitution now says the four-year term begins on 5 January of the year after the election. Governors moved to 6 January. The amendment says these changes apply only from the 2026 elections, so Lula's inauguration on 5 January 2027 will be the first under the new rule.
According to the Senate news agency, the goals were to avoid the New Year holiday and to let newly elected governors attend the presidential inauguration in Brasília, which was not possible when both ceremonies fell on the same day. A Senate legislative consultant also told Rádio Senado that the 1 January date made it harder for foreign heads of state to attend.
Inauguration
Under article 78 of the Constitution, the president and vice-president take office in a session of the National Congress and swear to maintain, defend and comply with the Constitution. If, ten days after the date set, either of them has not taken office, except in case of force majeure, the post is declared vacant.
According to the Senate news agency, the session usually takes place in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies. It is traditionally preceded by a parade in an open car and a reception at the Congress building by the presidents of the Senate and of the Chamber. The official program for 5 January 2027 had not been published when we last checked. Our Portuguese page on the inauguration of 5 January 2027 has the countdown, the ceremony step by step, how to watch and the history of past inaugurations.
Lula will be 81 years old when he is sworn in. He was president from 2003 to 2010 and has been president again since January 2023. His full timeline, with sources, is on our page about who Lula is.
Cabinet
The Constitution gives the president the power to appoint and dismiss ministers (art. 84). Announcements for the new term are expected in November and December 2026.
Status on 27 October 2026: no minister for the fourth term had been announced in the official sources we checked (the Planalto presidential palace website and Agência Brasil). All portfolios remain open until a name is announced by the president or his office.
Our Portuguese page on the new cabinet lists every ministry with one of three statuses: announced, confirmed or open. It also keeps a dated log of every change. Names will appear there, with a source, as soon as they are announced. One ministry may be new: Lula's 2026 government program proposes creating a Ministry of Public Security.
Promises
Our promise tracker follows what Lula pledged for the fourth term. Each promise has the exact quote, the source (the government program filed with the TSE, a speech or an interview), the date and a status: fulfilled, in progress, stalled or not started. Every change of status is logged with a date. The method is explained on our about page.
Some of the pledges in the 2026 government program and campaign, as reported by Agência Brasil:
- Minimum wage. Continue the policy of raising the minimum wage above inflation. See minimum wage.
- Public security. Create a Ministry of Public Security to coordinate national policy with states and municipalities. See Ministry of Public Security.
- Health. Build what the program calls the largest public cancer care network in the world, and add laboratory tests to the Farmácia Popular subsidized pharmacy program. See Farmácia Popular tests.
- Education. Keep and strengthen the Pé-de-Meia high school savings incentive and create a university version. See university Pé-de-Meia.
On 27 October 2026, most promises in the tracker were classified as not started. The tracker is reviewed every week.
Key numbers
The figures above are the latest official numbers, each with the date it refers to. Our Portuguese page Brazil in numbers has a live panel with four indicators since January 2023, a data table and plain explanations:
- Inflation (IPCA). Calculated monthly by the national statistics office, IBGE. Brazil's inflation target is 3% a year, with a tolerance band of 1.5 percentage points either way. Since 2025, the target is checked every month against 12-month inflation.
- Selic. The central bank's benchmark interest rate, set by its Monetary Policy Committee (Copom), which met eight times in 2025. The central bank has been formally autonomous since 2021, and its directors serve fixed terms.
- Dollar (PTAX). The central bank's reference exchange rate, calculated every business day from four rounds of quotes from authorized dealers.
- Unemployment. IBGE's rate for people aged 14 or older who looked for work and were available, published monthly for rolling three-month periods.
Some fixed numbers that matter to households, all in Brazilian reais:
- Minimum wage. R$ 1,621 a month in 2026. The 2027 budget bill, sent to Congress on 31 August 2026, projects R$ 1,741. The final value depends on November inflation and will be set by decree.
- Income tax. Since January 2026, people with taxable income of up to R$ 5,000 a month pay no income tax, under Law 15.270/2025. A partial discount applies up to R$ 7,350.
- Bolsa Família. The cash transfer program pays families at least R$ 691 a month since October 2026, after a 15.04% inflation adjustment. According to Agência Brasil, it reached 19.3 million families that month.
About this page
lula4.com is an independent site. It has no link to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Workers' Party, the federal government or any party or candidate. It does not publish opinion: it records what the government promises and decides, and what the official numbers show, with a source for every fact. Passages that interpret data are marked as analysis. Corrections are logged on our about page. For background on how Brazilian institutions work, see our Portuguese guide to Brazilian democracy. The home page keeps a dated daily log of the term.
Sources
- TSE, final runoff results, Brazil (data file)
- TSE, final first-round results, Brazil (data file)
- TSE Resolution 23.760/2026, electoral calendar
- Brazilian Constitution, arts. 14, 77, 78, 82 and 84
- Constitutional Amendment 111/2021
- Agência Senado, new inauguration dates in 2027 (23 Oct 2026)
- Rádio Senado, new inauguration dates (26 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, Lula's record vote total (26 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, runoff abstention (26 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, Lula re-elected (25 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, Flávio Bolsonaro does not recognize the result (25 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, PL recognizes Lula's victory (26 Oct 2026)
- Agência Senado, Lula re-elected for a fourth term (25 Oct 2026)
- Rádio Nacional, TSE asks Flávio Bolsonaro for details (16 Oct 2026)
- Agência Brasil, PL nominates Flávio Bolsonaro (25 Jul 2026)
- Agência Brasil, Lula's 2026 proposals (18 Sep 2026)
- Lula's 2026 government program (PDF published by Agência Brasil)
- Complementary Law 179/2021, central bank autonomy
- Decree 12.079/2024, inflation target system
- Central bank, Copom statements
- Central bank, Circular 3.506/2010 (PTAX method)
- IBGE, PNAD Contínua glossary
- Decree 12.797/2025, 2026 minimum wage
- Ministry of Finance, 2027 budget bill (1 Sep 2026)
- Law 15.270/2025, income tax
- Decree 13.120/2026, Bolsa Família adjustment
- Agência Brasil, Bolsa Família in October (20 Oct 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Who won Brazil's 2026 presidential election?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT) won the runoff on 25 October 2026. He received 64,256,232 votes, or 51.79% of valid votes. Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) received 59,826,041 votes, or 48.21%. The vice-president-elect is Geraldo Alckmin (PSB).
What were the first-round results?
In the first round, on 4 October 2026, Flávio Bolsonaro came first with 47.03% of valid votes and Lula second with 45.16%, according to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Twelve candidates ran. Because nobody won an absolute majority of valid votes, the two leaders met in a runoff. It was the first time the first-round runner-up went on to win a Brazilian presidential runoff.
Did Flávio Bolsonaro accept the result?
On election night, Flávio Bolsonaro said he would not recognize the result and would ask for the election to be annulled, citing a last-minute extension of voting hours, according to Agência Brasil. On 26 October, his party, the PL, said in a note that it recognizes the result proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). As of 27 October 2026, we found no court decision changing the result.
When is Lula's inauguration?
Lula and Geraldo Alckmin take office on 5 January 2027, in a session of the National Congress in Brasília. The fourth term runs until 5 January 2031. Lula will be 81 years old when he is sworn in.
Why is the inauguration on 5 January and not 1 January?
Constitutional Amendment 111 of 2021 moved the presidential inauguration to 5 January and the governors' to 6 January, starting with the officials elected in 2026. According to the Senate news agency, the goal was to avoid the New Year holiday and to let newly elected governors attend the presidential ceremony in Brasília. A Senate consultant also said 1 January made it harder for foreign heads of state to attend.
What is the diplomação?
It is the formal certification of the winners by the electoral courts. For the president and vice-president, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) issues the diplomas. Under TSE Resolution 23.760/2026, the deadline for the diplomação of those elected in 2026 is 18 December 2026.
Who will be in Lula's new cabinet?
As of 27 October 2026, no minister for the fourth term had been announced in the official sources we checked. Under the Constitution, the president appoints and dismisses ministers. Announcements are expected in November and December 2026. Our Portuguese page /ministros tracks each ministry as announced, confirmed or open.
How can Lula serve a fourth term?
The Brazilian Constitution bars only a third consecutive term: presidents may be re-elected for a single subsequent period (art. 14, paragraph 5). Lula served two terms from 2003 to 2010, other presidents followed, and he returned in 2023. The 2026 win is his one consecutive re-election, so the term ending in 2031 is his last allowed in a row.