Brazil Election Runoff 2026: Poll Times, Polls and Results
Brazil chooses its president in a runoff on Sunday, October 25, 2026, between Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time (11:00 to 20:00 UTC), at the same moment across the whole country. Flávio Bolsonaro led the first round on October 4 with 47.0% to Lula's 45.2%. Because Brazil votes on electronic machines, the result usually comes a few hours after polls close. The winner takes office on January 5, 2027.
The runoff at a glance
- Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026
- Voting hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time, the same moment in every time zone in Brazil
- The candidates: Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), number 22, with running mate Alfredo Gaspar; and Lula of the Workers' Party (PT), number 13, with running mate Geraldo Alckmin (PSB)
- Voters: about 158.7 million people were eligible to vote this year
- Results: published live by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) from 5 p.m. Brasília time on its results site
- Inauguration: January 5, 2027. From this election, the president takes office on January 5 instead of January 1, under Constitutional Amendment 111 (Rádio Senado)
In some states, voters also choose their governor in a runoff on the same day, where no candidate won more than half the votes in the first round.
What time polls open and close where you are
All polling stations in Brazil follow Brasília time, so the western states open earlier by the clock. Brazil doesn't use daylight saving time. In the UK, Ireland and the rest of Europe, the clocks go back an hour early that same Sunday morning, so the times below already include that change.
| Where | Polls open | Polls close |
|---|---|---|
| Brasília, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro | 8 a.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Manaus (Amazonas) | 7 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Rio Branco (Acre) | 6 a.m. | 3 p.m. |
| Fernando de Noronha | 9 a.m. | 6 p.m. |
| UTC | 11:00 | 20:00 |
| New York, Toronto, Miami | 7 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Los Angeles | 4 a.m. | 1 p.m. |
| London, Dublin, Lisbon | 11 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Rome | 12 noon | 9 p.m. |
| Tokyo | 8 p.m. | 5 a.m. Monday |
Voting hours in Brazil are set by the TSE's Resolution 23.751. Brazilians living abroad vote for president only, at polling stations mostly in embassies and consulates, which open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time (Wikipedia).
First-round result
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) | 56,104,503 | 47.03% |
| Lula (PT) | 53,879,538 | 45.16% |
| Augusto Cury (Avante) | 3,448,569 | 2.89% |
| Renan Santos (Missão) | 2,675,887 | 2.24% |
| Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) | 2,605,148 | 2.18% |
| Seven other candidates | under 0.3% each | |
Share of valid votes; turnout was 78.9%. Neither candidate passed 50%, so the top two go to the runoff. Figures from the TSE count, as reported by the BBC and listed on Wikipedia. After the first round, Caiado, Cury, Romeu Zema (Novo) and Clariana Barão (DC) backed Flávio Bolsonaro (Reuters), while Samara Martins (UP), Hertz Dias (PSTU) and Edmilson Costa (PCB) backed Lula. Renan Santos and Wilson Grassi haven't endorsed either candidate. Endorsements as listed in Wikipedia's second-round endorsement table.
Who are the two candidates?
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is a senator for Rio de Janeiro and the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. It's his first run for president.
Lula, 80, is the current president. He first held the office from 2003 to 2010 and narrowly beat Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 to win a third term. He is running for a fourth.
Runoff polls
Polls aren't results. In the first round, Flávio Bolsonaro beat expectations. These are the runoff polls published since the first round, with the share of all voters each candidate gets (the rest are blank, null or undecided):
| Pollster | Fieldwork | Flávio Bolsonaro | Lula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Datafolha | Oct 6–7 | 49% | 45% |
| AtlasIntel | Oct 3–8 | 51.1% | 45.7% |
| Ipespe | Oct 6–8 | 49% | 44% |
| PoderData | Oct 5–7 | 49% | 44% |
| Vox Brasil | Oct 5–7 | 42.7% | 44.2% |
Four of the five polls put Flávio Bolsonaro ahead, by 4 to 5.4 points; Vox Brasil has Lula narrowly ahead. TV and radio campaign broadcasts for the runoff run from October 9 to 23.
How voting works
- In person, on the day only. There is no postal or early voting. Each voter has one assigned polling station, usually a public school, and must show photo ID.
- On the machine, you type the candidate's number (22 for Flávio Bolsonaro, 13 for Lula), check the name and photo on the screen, and press the green CONFIRMA key. The orange CORRIGE key starts again, and the white BRANCO key casts a blank vote.
- Who must vote: voting is compulsory for literate citizens aged 18 to 70, and optional at 16 and 17, over 70, and for people who can't read. If you're required to vote and don't, you must justify your absence or pay a small fine, normally R$3.51.
Source: the voting rules summarised on Wikipedia, from the TSE's resolutions.
When will we know who won?
Results start coming in on the TSE's site after 5 p.m. Brasília time (8 p.m. in London, 4 p.m. in New York), once the last polling stations in Brazil close. Each machine prints its own totals, which are posted at the polling station and sent to the TSE, and the count is usually complete within a few hours. The winner is the candidate with the most valid votes; blank and null votes don't count towards either.
Quick answers
When is the Brazil election runoff?
Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time.
Who is in the runoff?
Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), who won the first round with 47.0%, and President Lula (PT), with 45.2%.
What time do the polls close in Brazil?
At 5 p.m. Brasília time, which is 20:00 UTC, 4 p.m. in New York and 8 p.m. in London.
Can Brazilians abroad vote in the runoff?
Yes, if they're registered to vote abroad. They vote for president only, at their assigned polling station abroad, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.
When does the new president take office?
On January 5, 2027.
