Italy

Rome, October 26, 2026. Italian media are covering the Brazilian runoff as a tight duel whose outcome settles nothing. La Repubblica recalls that in the first round, Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, son of former President Jair, "sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempted coup," won with 47.03% of valid votes against 45.16% for Lula, hence polls announcing "a challenge to the last vote." About 158.7 million voters were called to the polls.

The day is being followed hour by hour. According to La Repubblica, the scheduled closing at 5 pm local time (9 pm in Italy) was postponed by two hours by Judge Cristiano Zanin, who accepted a request from Lula's campaign committee reporting "incidents" that hindered voter transportation. Zanin cited "the gravity of the facts presented," and the vote count, already underway, was suspended. ANSA, in the morning, described a neck-and-neck duel, with a slight advantage of about one point for Bolsonaro in the polls, and noted that Lula, 80, had denounced political violence, citing the assault of a PT municipal councilor in Minas Gerais.

Adnkronos headlines the victory: Lula wins with 51.78% of the vote, against 48.22% for Bolsonaro, and secures a fourth term. In his speech in São Paulo, he praised "the generosity of the Brazilian people," the role of young people "taking to the streets to defend democracy" and promised to involve citizens more in decision-making, with digital communication at the forefront. Faced with a conservative Congress, he responds: "It's not me who chose Congress, it's the people." He also addresses a message to Donald Trump's United States: "This country will not accept being someone's backyard." From Brasília, Bolsonaro contests the result.

Libero Quotidiano, before the vote, framed the election in the "Cold War" between Washington and Beijing: Brazil, the tenth-largest world economy, the leading soy exporter, and holder of lithium and niobium, makes this election a global issue. The newspaper presents Flávio as "Trumpism 2.0," with a program to exclude Huawei from 5G and privatize Petrobras.

La Repubblica's headline summarizes the common thread: Lula's triumph, but an opponent who does not recognize the verdict and a country that this victory "does not heal" of its divisions.