World
Brazil votes Sunday in runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro
More than 158 million Brazilian voters head to the polls on Sunday for the presidential runoff, with voting between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Brasília time.
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The second round of the 2026 elections takes place on Sunday, October 25. The race for the presidency pits Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the PT against Flávio Bolsonaro of the PL. In five states, voters will also elect the next governor, while in Santana do Itararé in northern Paraná, there will be additional voting for mayor and deputy mayor after the Regional Electoral Court annulled the mandates of the previous office holders.
Voting follows a unified schedule across the country under rules set by the Superior Electoral Court. In Brasília time, polling stations operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The local clock varies by time zone in each region, although the Electoral Justice uses Brasília as the reference. In Mato Grosso do Sul, for example, voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone still in line when polls close has the right to vote.
To participate, voters must present an official photo identification document or use the e-Título app, provided it displays a photograph. A printed voter registration card is not mandatory on voting day, although the Electoral Justice recommends that voters verify their information beforehand.
Brazilian cities are implementing measures to facilitate access to the polls. In Presidente Prudente in São Paulo state, the public transport fleet will be expanded on Sunday with free fares, expected to serve around 3,000 passengers. The concessionaire RioSP will suspend scheduled roadworks on the Via Dutra and Rio-Santos highways that would require lane closures or cause traffic disruption, maintaining only normal operational services on both roads.
Abroad, more than 134,000 Brazilian voters can go to the polls in Lisbon, Porto and Faro at the same polling stations used in the first round. Weather forecasts for Sunday predict heavy rain in parts of the South, Southeast and Centre-West during voting hours. São Paulo is expected to see the heaviest rainfall in the morning, with strong downpours from the early hours. Heavy rain is also forecast for Paraná, particularly in the central, northern and eastern regions, and in Mato Grosso.