Story perspectives

Lula Announces 2026 Run, Faces Close Poll Against Bolsonaro

8/4/2026

Center

Lula Announces Candidacy

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced his candidacy for October 2026 presidential election at Workers’ Party convention in São Paulo on Sunday.
The convention warned that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Argentina’s President Javier Milei were supporting rival Flávio Bolsonaro and bot campaigns.
Geraldo Alckmin said Brazil’s electronic voting will reject foreign votes from United States and Argentina.

Right

Lula Announces Candidacy

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced his candidacy for October 2026 presidential election at the Workers’ Party convention in São Paulo on Sunday.
A Nexus/BTG poll shows Lula trailing narrowly behind right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, with a runoff giving Lula 46% and Bolsonaro 45%.
Governor Carlos Caiado won the PSD nomination, defeating Eduardo Leite and Ratinho Júnior, and proposes cutting executive, legislative and judicial budgets by 25% to fix Brazil’s fiscal imbalance.

History

Historical Context

Brazil’s 2018 presidential race, held on 7 October with a runoff on 28 October, saw right-wing outsider Jair Bolsonaro win the second round with 55 % after a fragmented left led by Fernando Haddad following Lula’s disqualification. The election followed Dilma Rousseff’s 2016 impeachment and Michel Temer’s barred candidacy, and the widespread disinformation on WhatsApp prompted tighter electronic-voting safeguards that now shape the 2026 contest.

1 of 3

Lula Announces Candidacy

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced his candidacy for October 2026 presidential election at Workers’ Party convention in São Paulo on Sunday.
The convention warned that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Argentina’s President Javier Milei were supporting rival Flávio Bolsonaro and bot campaigns.
Geraldo Alckmin said Brazil’s electronic voting will reject foreign votes from United States and Argentina.

1 / 3