Portugal

Lisbon, October 4, 2026. For the Portuguese press, Brazil is voting this Sunday in a "muito dividido" country, where polls announce a second round. News bulletins from Observador recall that more than 158 million voters are called to the polls, in a "altamente polarizado" election between the left of Lula da Silva and the right of Flávio Bolsonaro. Voting is compulsory and also designates governors, senators, and deputies.

Observador reports on the eve of the campaign: the two candidates ended their day in São Paulo. Flávio Bolsonaro, surrounded by Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, asked for a "voto de protesto" and promised "um governo de pacificação", judging that the ministers of the STF cannot be "agentes políticos". Lula, 80 years old, opposed "a democracia" to "a barbárie" and promised a "revolução educacional e tecnológica" if he is re-elected. The son of Jair Bolsonaro is seeking to return power to the Bolsonarist camp, four years after his father's defeat against the same opponent.

Jornal Económico gives the floor to André Pereira Matos, a politologist from the Open University and the University of Minho. According to him, Lula "terá mais dificuldade em ser reeleito" than four years ago, in a country "partido ao meio". He estimates that the campaign has focused on three themes: sovereignty, where Lula tries to associate his opponent with protection from the United States without great gain, corruption, with a perception surrounding the president, and the investigation targeting Flávio Bolsonaro in the Banco Master case, authorized by the Supreme Court.

The Lusophone angle is also practical. SAPO Notícias publishes a guide in eight questions: 134,797 Brazilians are registered in Portugal, the second-largest contingent abroad after the United States. They only vote for the presidency and vice-presidency, with a Brazilian document with a photo, even if expired, provided they have transferred their electoral domicile before May.

RTP, through the voice of its correspondent Daniel Catalão, highlights the fear of high abstention and a very divided country. The Portuguese narrative remains centered on the rivalry between the two men and the mechanics of the election rather than on American customs duties or economic stakes.