Brazil Presidential Runoff Vote Underway
Source reports published 25 Oct 2026, 11:52 pm – 26 Oct 2026, 7:18 am AEST
A presidential runoff election is taking place in Brazil, with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro vying for the country’s leadership. The Supreme Court extended voting hours due to transport issues in Bahia.
What happened
- The Brazilian presidential election entered a runoff stage between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
- Following a request from Lula’s campaign, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Cristiano Zanin, extended voting hours by two hours.
- This decision occurred shortly before the initial 5pm Brasilia time cut-off, at which point the electoral authority had begun publishing preliminary results.
- These early results showed Lula with 57.66% of the votes compared to Bolsonaro’s 42.34%. The extension was attributed to public transport difficulties in three cities within the state of Bahia.
- Washington has denied any allegations of US interference in the election.
Original reporting
- France 24 English: Presidential runoff under way in Brazil
2026-10-25T13:52:44+00:00 - South China Morning Post: Brazil pauses presidential vote count after Supreme Court extends voting hours
2026-10-25T21:18:45+00:00