Brazilians vote for next president as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro hope for first round victory
Description: (4 Oct 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
Thumbnail:
LEFT: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, walks after voting during general elections in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) id
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RIGHT: Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, right and his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro make the victory sign after voting during general elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
26277421781003
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sao Bernardo, Brazil - 04 October 2026
1. Lula casting his vote
2. Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alkmin posing, holding a Brazilian flag
3. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil:
++PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOTS 1, 2 & 4++
"In truth, what is at stake is the definition of a project for Brazil. The people will have to choose between strengthening the democracy or barbarism. Between positivism and denialism. Between development and backwardness, and between economic growth and regression."
4. Various of Lula greeting supporters, leaving
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rio de Janeiro - 04 October 2026
5. Oposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro arriving at the vote center
6. Bolsonaro voting and posing to pictures with his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro
7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Flavio Bolsonaro, Opposition candidate:
++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
“Brazil must change, Brazil cannot handle four more years of this, and the only alternative is Flávio Bolsonaro. It is with great composure and awareness that I am fully prepared to preside over this country and restore the right of the Brazilian people to dream again. That is what I hope for, may God bless everyone, may God touch the hearts of all Brazilians to do the right thing when they leave home today."
8. Close of Bolsonaro and Fernanda Bolsonaro
9. Bolsonaro leaving polling station
10. Bolsonaro taking a selfie with Rio de Janeiro policemen
STORYLINE:
Brazilians began voting Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro at a moment when the region is shifting to the right.
Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who is currently serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world's oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil's ties with Beijing.
Trump allies have fared well in recent elections in Latin America, including in Argentina, Colombia, Honduras and Peru.
If none of the 12 presidential candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America's economic powerhouse.
Brazil's nearly 159 million eligible voters will also elect 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal members of the lower house of congress and 54 of the country's 81 senators in Sunday's vote.
While the once widely popular Lula saw his approval ratings plummet during his third term, standing up to the U.S. has given him a boost. And he still enjoys a strong base of supporters who credit his social policies for improving millions of Brazilians' lives.
Lula told journalists after voting Sunday that he needs "to do double of what we have done" if reelected, and expressed confidence he would win in the first round.
But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro.
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RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
Thumbnail:
LEFT: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, walks after voting during general elections in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) id
26277466765775
RIGHT: Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, right and his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro make the victory sign after voting during general elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
26277421781003
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sao Bernardo, Brazil - 04 October 2026
1. Lula casting his vote
2. Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alkmin posing, holding a Brazilian flag
3. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil:
++PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOTS 1, 2 & 4++
"In truth, what is at stake is the definition of a project for Brazil. The people will have to choose between strengthening the democracy or barbarism. Between positivism and denialism. Between development and backwardness, and between economic growth and regression."
4. Various of Lula greeting supporters, leaving
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rio de Janeiro - 04 October 2026
5. Oposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro arriving at the vote center
6. Bolsonaro voting and posing to pictures with his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro
7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Flavio Bolsonaro, Opposition candidate:
++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
“Brazil must change, Brazil cannot handle four more years of this, and the only alternative is Flávio Bolsonaro. It is with great composure and awareness that I am fully prepared to preside over this country and restore the right of the Brazilian people to dream again. That is what I hope for, may God bless everyone, may God touch the hearts of all Brazilians to do the right thing when they leave home today."
8. Close of Bolsonaro and Fernanda Bolsonaro
9. Bolsonaro leaving polling station
10. Bolsonaro taking a selfie with Rio de Janeiro policemen
STORYLINE:
Brazilians began voting Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro at a moment when the region is shifting to the right.
Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who is currently serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Lula, who at 80 is one of the world's oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election and has strengthened Brazil's ties with Beijing.
Trump allies have fared well in recent elections in Latin America, including in Argentina, Colombia, Honduras and Peru.
If none of the 12 presidential candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will head to a runoff on Oct. 25 in Latin America's economic powerhouse.
Brazil's nearly 159 million eligible voters will also elect 27 state governors, members of state legislatures, all 513 federal members of the lower house of congress and 54 of the country's 81 senators in Sunday's vote.
While the once widely popular Lula saw his approval ratings plummet during his third term, standing up to the U.S. has given him a boost. And he still enjoys a strong base of supporters who credit his social policies for improving millions of Brazilians' lives.
Lula told journalists after voting Sunday that he needs "to do double of what we have done" if reelected, and expressed confidence he would win in the first round.
But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro.
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You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f2bb11a074bd4f6ca2153851c94a0ba9 Close description