# What to know about Brazil’s election pitting Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro

https://mins.news/en/item/85145

- BBC News, 2026-10-04 04:53 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6wyz0r2n0djo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> Brazil’s presidential election is shaping up as a close contest between left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. Both are polling near 40%, with Lula slightly ahead. If no candidate wins more than half of valid votes, the top two will meet in a 25 October runoff. Jair Bolsonaro, barred from running and serving a sentence for plotting a coup, remains a major influence on his son’s campaign.

## Related coverage

- [Voting begins in Brazil’s presidential election](https://mins.news/en/item/85326) — TASS, 2026-10-04
- [Brazil votes in deeply polarised election pitting Lula against Bolsonaro](https://mins.news/en/item/85272) — Al Jazeera, 2026-10-04
- [Brazil’s 2026 presidential election begins with Lula and Bolsonaro nearly tied](https://mins.news/en/item/84996) — DW, 2026-10-04
- [Brazil Election Set for Tight Lula-Bolsonaro Race](https://mins.news/en/video/83199) — Bloomberg Television, 2026-10-02