Brazilian presidential election

How the story developed

Tensions surrounding the election began escalating internationally on August 6, when the United States revoked the visa of Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti. Washington cited Brazil's delay in approving U.S. ambassador nominee Daniel Perez and the denial of visas to two American diplomats. Brazil condemned the revocation as an ideological escalation.

On September 27, Lula's campaign released an advertisement accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of interfering in the election to "colonize" Brazil and capture its natural resources. The coalition filed a lawsuit with Brazil's electoral court seeking an investigation into the alleged interference. The U.S. State Department denied the allegations, calling the claims a "baseless lie," while 31 U.S. Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the State Department condemning the Trump administration's actions.

Voting for the first round began on October 4, with security forces deployed across 12 states for Brazil's 156 million registered voters. The race presented a choice between Lula's left-wing, multipolar platform and Bolsonaro's promises of right-wing economic liberalization and strict alignment with Washington. On October 5, results showed Bolsonaro securing 47 percent of the vote against Lula's 45.1 percent. Because neither candidate reached the 50 percent threshold required to win outright, the election proceeded to a second round. Right-wing candidates aligned with Bolsonaro also secured major victories in congressional and gubernatorial races.

The candidates held their first runoff debate on October 19, trading accusations over the economy and democratic institutions. Lula defended state-led social investment and demanded a commitment from his opponent to accept the election results, while Bolsonaro advocated for aggressive privatization and criticized the judiciary.

On October 20, Superior Electoral Court Justice Marco Aurélio Bellizze doubled a daily fine against Meta to 1 million reais, or $200,000, after the company missed an initial 72-hour deadline to demonstrate its algorithms were not favoring either candidate. Both campaigns had filed complaints alleging algorithmic bias. Internal Meta communications reportedly showed employees acknowledging restrictions on Lula's accounts while algorithms recommended Bolsonaro's profile.

What to watch

• Voters across Brazil and thousands living abroad will cast their ballots in the presidential runoff on October 25.
• Meta has been given 24 hours by the Superior Electoral Court to prove its platforms are not limiting the reach of political content.
• Brazil's electoral court is tasked with reviewing a lawsuit filed by Lula's coalition seeking an investigation into alleged U.S. election interference.