News24 | Bolsonaro clan wins big in multiple Brazil polls

Presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro for the Partido Liberal speaks to the press after the votes are tallied during the general election day on 4 October 2026 in Brasilia, Brazil.

Ton Molina/Getty Images

• Flavio Bolsonaro outpolled President Lula in the first round of Brazil’s elections with 47% to 45% and will face him in a 25 October runoff.
• The Bolsonaro family won every seat they contested, with Michelle Bolsonaro topping the senate vote in Brasilia and other relatives claiming congressional seats across multiple states.
• Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party became the largest force in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies but fell short of an outright majority, ensuring Lula, if re-elected, would face a conservative-dominated Congress.

The Bolsonaro clan claimed victory in every race they contested in Brazil on Sunday, as Flavio Bolsonaro surpassed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a first-round vote and several other family members won seats in Congress.

Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, received 47 percent of votes compared with Lula's 45 percent.

The pair will clash again in an October 25 runoff.

The 45-year-old senator was chosen by his father to continue the family's political project after Bolsonaro senior was convicted of coup-plotting and barred from running for office until 2030.

Other members of the dynasty surfed a right-wing wave that made Bolsonaro's Liberal Party the largest force in the Senate – securing 19 of 54 Senate seats up for grabs – but it fell short of an outright majority.

Jair Bolsonaro's wife Michelle Bolsonaro secured more votes than any other candidate in her bid to become a senator in the capital Brasilia's Federal District.

Commentators believe the 44-year-old is eyeing a presidential bid of her own in 2030.

Ex-leader Bolsonaro's second son Carlos Bolsonaro, 43, was the second most voted senatorial candidate in the southern Santa Catarina state.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the third son aged 42, gave up his seat as a lawmaker when he moved to the United States last year.

The youngest Bolsonaro brother, Jair Renan, 28, was elected a federal deputy in the same state.

Jair Bolsonaro's brother, 62-year-old Renato Bolsonaro, was also elected a federal deputy in Sao Paulo.

If Flavio Bolsonaro becomes president, he will be able to count on two senators and two federal lawmakers in the family as he attempts to fulfill a campaign promise to secure amnesty for his jailed father.

Such a move would require a vote by both houses of Congress.

The party will also be the largest in the Chamber of Deputies.

Even if Lula is re-elected, he will have a tough time trying to push policies through chambers dominated by conservative lawmakers.