Lula's Share of the Brazilian Vote in Portugal Grows to 59.4 Percent in the Runoff, While Flávio Bolsonaro Holds Faro and Contests the National Result

Brazilians voting in Portugal gave President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a clearer win in Sunday's presidential runoff than in the first round. Across the three Brazilian consular areas in Portugal, Lula took 59.4 percent of the valid vote (34,319 votes) against 40.6 percent (23,433) for Flávio Bolsonaro, according to the final results published by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). In the first round on 4 October his share in Portugal was 52.5 percent.

Nationally, with every polling section counted, the TSE results list Lula as elected with 51.79 percent (64,256,232 votes) to Flávio Bolsonaro's 48.21 percent (59,826,041). In the first round Flávio Bolsonaro had led, with 47.03 percent to Lula's 45.16 percent.

Lisbon and Porto for Lula, Faro for Bolsonaro again

The split matched 4 October, but Lula's margins in the two cities widened:

• Lisbon: Lula 19,420 votes (60.10 percent), Flávio Bolsonaro 12,894 (39.90 percent), from 32,314 valid votes, up from 53.51 percent for Lula.
• Porto: Lula 13,435 (60.13 percent), Flávio Bolsonaro 8,910 (39.87 percent), from 22,345 valid votes, up from 52.49 percent for Lula.
• Faro: Flávio Bolsonaro 1,629 (52.67 percent), Lula 1,464 (47.33 percent), from 3,093 valid votes.

Across all Brazilian voters abroad, Lula won 53.86 percent (200,154 votes) to 46.14 percent (171,497).

More voters, but most still stayed home

Turnout rose in all three areas, though it stayed below half of the 134,400 Brazilians registered in Portugal. In total 59,040 people voted, or 43.9 percent, up from 51,683 (38.5 percent) in the first round. By area, the TSE figures show:

• Lisbon: 33,002 voters of 78,624 registered (42.0 percent turnout, 58.0 percent abstention), against 36.4 percent turnout on 4 October.
• Porto: 22,862 of 47,505 (48.1 percent), against 42.7 percent.
• Faro: 3,176 of 8,271 (38.4 percent), against 33.4 percent.

The TSE's final first-round count puts abstention in Lisbon on 4 October at 63.6 percent. The consul general had estimated 70 percent on election night, the figure we reported then.

Bolsonaro says he will go to court

Flávio Bolsonaro has not accepted the result. In a short statement in Brasília on Sunday night, reported by Observador, he said it was "impossible to recognise the results of these elections" in the circumstances and that his side would use "our legal team". He objected to a decision by Supreme Federal Court judge Cristiano Zanin to extend voting in Brazil by two hours, and said members of his party had been removed from polling tables. He gave no detail of how a challenge would be brought.

If you did not vote

Voting is compulsory for Brazilians registered abroad in presidential elections. Under the TSE's rules, anyone who missed the runoff can justify the absence until 8 January 2027, through the e-Título app or the online Autoatendimento Eleitoral (Título Net) service, attaching proof of the reason. The deadline for the first round is 3 December 2026. Each round must be justified separately, and missing three rounds without justifying or paying the fine can lead to the voter registration being cancelled.

An unresolved absence also matters in Portugal: the TSE says voters who have not regularised it cannot obtain documents from a Brazilian consulate, including a passport, with one exception: a new passport for identification and return to Brazil. Anyone who needs a document before a justification is decided should contact the electoral authorities or pay the fine.

Our first-round report has the 4 October results, and our guide to checking your voter registration explains how to confirm your polling place and the status of your card. Brazilians settled here can also read about equal rights status.