Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday (October 25, 2026) facing a stark choice — another four years under veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or a return to the right under Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, has vowed to crack down on crime and slash government spending, while handing Brazil to “the Lord Jesus Christ,” with a message of change that won over Brazilians looking for something new.
“Enough is enough. Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) has governed Brazil. “Even if people call it handouts, for us they were an enormous help.
We’ve had 16 years of this administration, and it’s clear it didn’t work. It’s time for a change,” said Joao Paulo, 37, at a rally in Belo Horizonte, referring roughly to the total period Mr. Because anyone who has ever gone hungry knows not to take these programs for granted,” said Walter dos Santos, 56, who lives in northeastern Brazil, a bastion of support for the President, who hails from the same region.
After the first-round defeat, the left swung into action with massive rallies declaring “Never Again Bolsonaro,” where protesters recalled the former President’s chaotic handling of the Covid pandemic, devastation of the Amazon rainforest, and cuts to public programs. “If the left wins, it faces four years with a hostile Congress and threats of impeachment,” said political analyst Thomas Traumann, referring to sweeping legislative gains by the right.
Lula, who turns 81 next week and is hoping to pull off a dramatic turnaround after a shock second-place finish in the first round to the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. It is the final electoral battle for Mr. Sunday’s runoff will determine whether Brazil remains one of Latin America’s few leftist nations or joins a regional swing to the right championed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has not openly endorsed the son of his ally.
