The first round of Brazil’s general elections revealed a broader political shift to the right. Flávio Bolsonaro, candidate of the Liberal Party (PL), finished ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, winning 47.03 percent of the vote against Lula’s 45.16 percent. The two candidates will face each other in a run-off on 25 October.
Beyond the presidential race, the elections significantly strengthened conservative forces across Brazil’s political institutions. The PL won five governorships, secured 19 of the 54 Senate seats contested and will become the largest party in the Senate with 28 of 81 seats. It will also form the largest parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies with 121 representatives.
The results point not only to continued polarization between the Lula and Bolsonaro camps, but also to a broader institutional shift in Brazil’s balance of power. Even if Lula were to win the run-off, he would face a more conservative Congress and an increasingly assertive Senate. At the same time, the pragmatic parties of the Centrão remain indispensable for building parliamentary majorities, regardless of who wins the presidency.
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