Lula Defeats Flávio Bolsonaro in October 2026 Presidential Runoff
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured 64,241,786 votes, representing 51.78% of valid ballots, to defeat Flávio Bolsonaro in the October 25, 2026 presidential runoff election, according to data updated by the Superior Electoral Court at 22:06 Brasília time. Flávio Bolsonaro received 59,818,887 votes, or 48.22%, with 99.98% of electoral sections totalized.
How the 4.4 Million Vote Shift Unfolded Across Brazil
The final tally marked a sharp reversal from the first round held on October 4, when Flávio Bolsonaro led the field with 56,104,503 votes (47.03%) compared to Lula’s 53,879,538 votes (45.16%). That initial 2.2 million vote deficit transformed into a 4.4 million vote advantage for the president in the second round.
Lula added 10,362,248 votes to his first-round total, while Flávio Bolsonaro increased his count by 3,714,384 votes. The broader turnout and realignment allowed Lula to improve his valid vote percentage across all 26 states and the Federal District.
Minas Gerais Flips and São Paulo Narrows the Gap
Minas Gerais emerged as the sole state to switch its majority support between rounds. Flávio Bolsonaro originally won the state with 5,777,548 votes (48.24%) against Lula’s 5,188,936 votes (43.33%). In the runoff, with 99.83% of sections reported, Lula collected 6,338,292 votes (50.41%) to edge out Flávio Bolsonaro’s 6,235,321 votes (49.59%). This erased a 588,612-vote deficit and turned it into a 102,971-vote victory, shifting Lula from leading in 12 federal units to 13.
São Paulo generated Lula’s largest absolute vote increase, climbing from 9,505,413 votes (38.20%) to 12,119,274 votes (46.15%) with 100% of sections tallied. Despite that 2,613,861-vote surge, Flávio Bolsonaro maintained his lead in the state, moving from 12,922,023 votes (51.93%) to 14,139,178 votes (53.85%). However, Flávio Bolsonaro’s margin in São Paulo shrank from 3,416,610 votes down to 2,019,904 votes.
Rio de Janeiro followed a parallel trajectory. Lula expanded his total from 3,693,021 votes (39.41%) to 4,565,286 votes (46.90%). Flávio Bolsonaro retained a 53.10% majority in Rio, but his advantage dropped from 1,273,823 votes to 603,616 votes.
Regional Reinforcements and State-Level Swings
Lula preserved his dominance across all nine northeastern states, adding approximately 2.95 million votes in the region compared to the first round. Bahia delivered the largest regional absolute gain, where Lula climbed from 5,664,771 votes (66.17%) to 6,484,995 votes (71.31%). Pernambuco, Ceará, and Piauí registered similar upward movements, with Piauí reaching 75.88% of valid support for the president.
Goiás recorded the highest percentage point increase for Lula among all states, rising 9.28 points from 31.06% (1,188,880 votes) to 40.34% (1,585,555 votes). Flávio Bolsonaro nevertheless retained the majority in Goiás with 59.66%. In the Federal District, Lula advanced from 38.11% to 45.72% but stayed behind his challenger. Amapá, which saw the tightest margin in the opening round with a mere 225-vote difference, widened Lula’s lead to 24,294 votes with 100% of sections processed, giving the president 52.88% there.