Brief Published (Dubai time, UTC+4) · event date: 2026-10-04
The first round of Brazil’s presidential election took place on Sunday, October 4, engaging 158 million voters to select their president from among 13 candidates.
The two main contenders are the incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, representing the left, and Flavio Bolsonaro, a far-right senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
According to João Whitaker, a professor at the University of São Paulo and guest on RFI, this election is characterized by a strong division of the electorate, reflecting significant political polarization in Brazil.