Lula pulls ahead of Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential exit poll
The first exit poll shows incumbent President Lula ahead of conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential race.
According to the initial exit poll, President Lula is leading former president Jair Bolsonaro's son, Flávio Bolsonaro. Vote counting was paused after the Supreme Court extended polling hours by two hours. The early figures mainly reflect results from Lula's strongholds in the North and Northeast regions. In the first round on 4 October, Bolsonaro had secured 47.03% while Lula obtained 45.16% of the vote.
Why it matters
The poll hints at a possible change in Brazil's leadership, affecting domestic and international policies.
How this story developed
- Oct 4 Portugal sees alcohol dependence surge while Brazil heads to tightly contested election
- Oct 10 Former Minas Gerais governor Romeu Zema and former President Michel Temer publicly endorsed Flavio Bolsonaro.
- Oct 10 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign says Meta restricted his content on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp as the presidential runoff approaches.
- Oct 13 Senator Flavio Bolsonaro announced he will vote for a constitutional amendment that cuts Brazil’s standard workweek from 44 to 40 hours, reversing his party’s previous opposition.
- Oct 16 Senate ratified the constitutional amendment following Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s earlier announcement of support.
- Oct 16 A new Datafolha poll released Thursday shows Bolsonaro maintaining a narrow lead over Lula within the margin of error.
- Oct 19 The first televised debate between the two candidates was held a week before the runoff.
- Oct 20 Lula’s closing remarks were interrupted when the moderator announced he had run out of time.
- Oct 20 The court increased the daily penalty on Meta.
- Oct 22 Meta was ordered to demonstrate compliance with equal‑treatment rules within 24 hours.
- Oct 25 A Datafolha poll released on October 22 gave Flávio Bolsonaro 47% and Lula 46%, a one‑point margin.
- Oct 25 Voters went to the polls on Sunday for the runoff.
- Oct 25 The Supreme Court authorized longer voting hours and the electoral court ordered the arrest of Salvador's mobility secretary.
- Oct 25 Voting began with low turnout and bus blockades in Bahia.
In this story
Brazil presidential electionLulaFlávio Bolsonaroexit pollSupreme Courtfirst round results
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