Brazilian presidential candidates Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wave to supporters during campaign events ahead of the country’s presidential election. Photo: Reuters

NNA News - Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has expanded the Bolsonaro family's first-round presidential vote total beyond the results recorded by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, in both 2018 and 2022, after finishing ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's election on Sunday. Report compiled by Brasil247. 

Flávio, the Liberal Party candidate, received 56,104,268 votes, or 47.03 percent of valid votes, while Lula received 53,876,617 votes, or 45.16 percent, according to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court. The two candidates will contest the presidency in a runoff on Oct. 25.

Flávio's total was about 6.8 million higher than Jair Bolsonaro's 49.3 million votes in the first round of the 2018 election and about 5 million above his father's 51.1 million votes in the first round of 2022.

The result also marked a significant change in the electoral map. Flávio finished ahead in 14 states and the Federal District, while Lula led in 12 states, according to Brazilian election data. Flávio gained states that Lula had carried in 2022, including Minas Gerais and Tocantins.

The shift was particularly significant in the Southeast, South and parts of the North and Centre-West, while Lula retained his strongest regional advantage in the Northeast. Flávio's performance in Minas Gerais was among the clearest reversals, with the senator winning a state where Lula had defeated Jair Bolsonaro in 2022.

In the Northeast, however, Lula remained ahead in all nine states. Flávio nevertheless narrowed the gap in several areas, increasing the Bolsonaro family's vote in states including Ceará, Piauí and Bahia.

Flávio said after the result that the vote showed Brazilians were seeking political change.

“Essa é a leitura do que aconteceu hoje. Eu fiquei muito feliz com o resultado em todas as regiões. São quase 56 milhões de brasileiros e brasileiras que deram esse voto de confiança para a mudança”, Flávio said after the first-round result, according to Agência Brasil.

Lula, who had expected to win without a second round, acknowledged that the result was not what his campaign had anticipated.

“I was convinced I would win the election in the first round,” Lula said after the count, according to Reuters. He added that the campaign would now enter a new phase and that his camp would seek to win support from voters who backed other candidates. 

The scale of Flávio's first-round vote also reflects a broader consolidation of the right. His Liberal Party made gains in congressional and state elections, strengthening the political base from which he will enter the runoff. Reuters reported that the result prompted a positive reaction in Brazilian financial markets, although the second-round outcome remains uncertain.

The runoff will require both candidates to expand beyond their core support. More than 5 million votes went to Ronaldo Caiado and Renan Santos combined, while Augusto Cury received about 3.4 million votes, leaving millions of voters whose preferences could influence the final contest.

Economist and pollster Maurício Moura said the second round would require both campaigns to appeal to voters who did not support either candidate in the first round.

“There will be a huge effort by both candidates to go after voters who did not vote for either of them in the first round,” Moura said.

The election therefore enters its decisive phase with Flávio holding a first-round lead but without the majority required for an outright victory. Brazil's voters will return to the polls on Oct. 25 to choose between Flávio and Lula.