A nail-biting election is expected in Brazil as the country prepares to vote for its next president. Based on the latest media polls, incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is projected to hold a narrow lead over Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The first round of voting in the presidential election will take place on October 4 from 8am to 5pm Brasilia time (4:30pm to 1:30am IST). The second round of voting, or a run-off, if needed, will be held on October 25. Around 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in this tense political showdown, and based on the polls, the vote is likely to head into a run-off. At 80, Lula is fighting his seventh election and eyeing a fourth term at the top post. The octogenarian has been a key figure in Brazilian politics and was named the candidate for the Workers’ Party or PT, for the 2026 elections. Against Lula is 45-year-old senator Flavio Bolsonaro , the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is the candidate of the right-wing Liberal party. To secure a term as the next president, a candidate must secure 50 per cent of the votes. If neither candidate secures 50 per cent, the election goes into a run-off, where another round of voting is held.
Apart from the key contenders, Augusto Cury, Ronaldo Caiado, Renan Santos and Romeu Zema are also in the race for president. Despite the polls, last-minute decisions from voters are expected to play a key role in who will become the next president of Brazil.
