Weekly Report - 08 October 2026 (WR-26-40)

The results of the first round of Brazil’s presidential election on 4 October showed Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Partido Liberal, PL) winning the most votes, despite pollsters expecting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to come out on top. Alongside the presidential vote, the legislative and state gubernatorial elections also brought a significant rightward shift in Brazil’s political landscape, with the PL winning the most seats in congress and looking set to win the greatest number of governorships.