Politics · Brasília, Brazil · October 20, 2026

Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro virtually tied before Sunday's Brazil run-off

Reported by 7 outlets · first reported Oct 20, 6:09 AM ET

Polls show President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro virtually tied ahead of Sunday's presidential run-off. Lula challenged his rival to release bank, tax and phone records, while Argentine President Javier Milei called Lula a "leftist thief" and said he hoped he would not "steal" the election. Brazil's electoral court gave Meta a deadline to show its algorithms treat both candidates equally or face doubled daily fines.

Why it matters

The vote will decide the leadership of Latin America's largest economy.

Background

Lula, a left-wing leader, is seeking a fourth term after finishing behind in the first round. Flávio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator, is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The story so far

1. Oct 17Brazil heads into its 25 October run-off
2. Oct 18Lula campaign accuses Meta of favouring Bolsonaro before run-off
3. Oct 19Brazil's electoral court orders Meta to prove equal treatment of candidates
4. Oct 20Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro virtually tied before Sunday's Brazil run-off
5. Oct 21Brazil heads into tight Lula-Bolsonaro runoff on Sunday
6. Oct 22Lula says rival should be disqualified over alleged Meta interference
7. Oct 23Brazil court orders transport for Indigenous voters before runoff
8. Oct 24Brazil ends campaign with Lula and Bolsonaro tied
9. Oct 25Brazil extends voting in tight Lula–Bolsonaro presidential runoff
10. Oct 26Lula wins fourth term in Brazil; Bolsonaro refuses to concede
11. Oct 27Bolsonaro's party accepts Lula's win; Flávio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil
12. Oct 28Flávio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the US despite court ban
13. Oct 29Flávio Bolsonaro in US calls himself 'leader' of Brazil
14. Oct 30Brazil summons Argentine diplomat over Flávio Bolsonaro's flight
15. Oct 31Flávio Bolsonaro says he fled Brazil over 'persecution' and may run again
16. Nov 1Flávio Bolsonaro in US after leaving Brazil

Follow the whole story →

Sources

• DW ↗Oct 20, 11:12 AM ET
• Al Jazeera ↗Oct 20, 2:43 PM ET
• MercoPress ↗Oct 20, 6:09 AM ET

This summary was written automatically from the reporting linked above; follow the sources for the full story. How One Turn works.

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