"The end of the PT era is decreed," says Flávio Bolsonaro after winning the first round

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro celebrated his first-round win in Brazil's presidential election with a message focused on change. He declared, "Change, the word is change. Brazil can't take any more. The end of the PT era is decreed." With almost 99% of votes counted, Bolsonaro secured 47.08% of valid votes, compared to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's 45.10%.

The two will face off in the October 25 runoff. Bolsonaro thanked the nearly 56 million voters who supported him and criticized pollsters, stating, "The polling institutes had us behind and we grew." Datafolha's final survey had Lula at 45% and Bolsonaro at 42% of valid votes, while AtlasIntel reported 47% to 44.1%. Bolsonaro vowed to reduce the number of ministries and prevent presidential re-election, a proposal requiring a constitutional amendment; he also stated he would appoint four justices to the Supreme Federal Court, a decision dependent on vacancies and requiring Senate approval.

He portrayed Lula's government as marked by increasing violence against women, taxes, and business closures, claims Lula's administration rejects. Lula countered by questioning Bolsonaro's record and associating him with the Banco Master case, for which the senator is under investigation without formal charges.