The Rio Times · October 5, 2026

Milei celebrated Flávio Bolsonaro's lead in the first round of Brazil's election

Argentine President Javier Milei congratulated Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, after he came in first in Brazil’s first-round election on October 4, with 47% of the vote compared to Lula da Silva’s 45%. Milei posted a message on X calling the result historic and expressed his desire to work alongside Bolsonaro should he win the runoff election on October 25.

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno went further by questioning whether Lula would compete in the runoff, while Senator Patricia Bullrich spoke of a historic opportunity for bilateral trade. Brazil has been Argentina’s main trading partner since 1991, with trade totaling $31.2 billion in 2025. Analysts cited by iProfesional believe that a Bolsonaro victory could strengthen the Brazilian real and benefit Argentine exporters, although diplomatic relations between the two countries have remained strained since August, when Milei called Lula a thief.

Via The Rio Times