According to official returns released by the Superior Electoral Court on Monday (October 5, 2026) following Sunday's voting, Flávio Bolsonaro secured 47 percent of the valid votes, while President Lula da Silva garnered 45 percent. The outcome overturned pre-election survey predictions that had consistently placed Lula ahead by at least three percentage points. As neither candidate achieved an absolute majority, they will face each other in a runoff election scheduled for October 25. Addressing supporters in Brasília, Flávio Bolsonaro—the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence following a conviction for an attempted coup—declared that the result signaled "the end of the Workers' Party era". Meanwhile, speaking in São Paulo, President Lula admitted the first-round result was unexpected but pledged to immediately launch a renewed campaign focusing on his administration's socio-economic achievements.