A game on the outdoor rink couldn’t reverse the Winnipeg Jets’ fortunes.

The Jets lost their fifth straight game with a 2-1 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic on Sunday at Princess Auto Stadium.

The Jets were almost shutout again in a Heritage Classic as it took them over 55 minutes to score a goal after being blanked by the Edmonton Oilers in the last outdoor game in Winnipeg in 2016.

After a scoreless first period, the Habs scored goals less than four minutes apart in the second period and held on for the victory.

“I thought we got better as the game went on,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “I thought we started a little bit slow. Obviously the third period was our best period. Their goaltender was real good.

“Probably the biggest thing for me, we didn’t have enough traffic on (Jacob) Fowler. We didn’t make it a little bit more difficult for him to kinda find pucks and that’s just something that we got to make sure that we do a better job at.”

The Jets outshot the Canadiens in all three periods, but Fowler made 33 stops as the 21-year-old became the youngest goalie in NHL history to start an outdoor game.

The Jets now have five straight one-goal losses.

“We look at that game and there’s areas we got to clean up,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “I think in that stretch, there’s been a couple games where we haven’t liked but then it’s been one thing, whether it’s the penalty kill or a couple of D-zone faceoffs that has been the difference. They’ve been tight one-goal games and it’s about finding a way to be on the right side of that.”

Isak Rosen scored the lone marker for the Jets while Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle had the goals for Montreal.

Elias Salomonsson had over 17 minutes of ice time in his season debut after starting the campaign on the injured list following off-season shoulder surgery. And Dawson Mercer made his Jets’ debut after being acquired on Friday in the Connor Hellebuyck trade. He started on their third line but also spent some time on their second line in the final period.

“Pretty cool experience,” Mercer said. “Definitely worse situation to be thrown into, but honestly a pretty special one that’ll I definitely cherish. Obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted but overall, nice to get going with the guys right away and then build on it from here.”

Winnipeg has scored just six goals over their last four games with their power play now 0-for-12 during that stretch.

The Jets top line had eight of their first 10 shots on net.

“We need other people stepping up,” Arniel said. “It makes it hard if all the heat’s on Schife’s (Mark Scheifele) line to try to do that. That’s part of that mindset of our players that, like I just talked about, you got to get to the net. You got to go get greasy goals, some that bounce off your skate or your foot or your back, whatever it is.”

The Jets outshot them 34-21 as Stuart Skinner made 19 stops in the loss.

With the Hellebuyck trade and the Heritage Classic now behind them, the Jets will be looking for a fresh start when they host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Watch the full broadcast of Global National with Dawna Friesen for Sunday, October 25, 2026.

View more Global National videos here

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The British government has turned down Ottawa’s attempts to have it join the international Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, though London says it will work in lockstep with Canada to meet NATO spending targets.

The DSRB is meant to reduce borrowing costs for military spending by pooling credit strength among allies.

Canada has tried for months to convince the U.K. to join the project, but London has instead been pursuing its own program called the Multilateral Defence Mechanism.

Both countries agreed Sunday to craft a framework for cooperation between both banks, “having mutually concluded that it is best to develop two distinct but complementary institutions.”

The two will “work in close partnership” on investment opportunities and challenges, according to a joint media statement.

The DSRB will be based in Canada and has the support of countries such as Belgium, Turkey and Ukraine.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.

It was a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.

High turnout and gathering tensions marked the highly contested parliamentary election that was a showdown between Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and university students who, accusing the government of corruption and dismantling democracy, had built a popular following across the country.

Serbia’s 6.4 million voters were electing lawmakers to the 250-member Parliament. In conceding the election, Vucic said his party projects that his opponents, the youth-backed Students’ List, will take between 135 and 140 seats while his SNS party will have around 105.

“The Students’ List has won,” Vucic told supporters at his party’s election night event, though he blamed Serbia’s independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an ”American deep state” for the loss.

Belgrade erupts in celebration

Vucic said that his SNS party won around 1.7 million votes compared to the Students’ List, which he said took around 2.2 million.

Supporters of the Students’ List immediately flooded onto the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking horns, shouting and chanting: “Aleksandar is gone,” referring to Vucic.

The outcome, which Vucic announced only around an hour and a half after polls closed, came after tensions had built as voting progressed during the day.

Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area in central Belgrade around the election commission headquarters. Special police vehicles could be seen near a Belgrade park where Vucic’s loyalists have been camping for over a year, and large groups of black-clad men had congregated at various points throughout the city.

Protests over corruption lead to Vucic’s fall

Vucic was seeking become Serbia’s prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president. He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.

Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad. That set off a wave of youth protests that blamed the collapse on high-level corruption, cronyism and rampant graft during renovation work at the station.

Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among many of Serbia’s voters. Admirers viewed him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties — the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.

Student movement

While the increasingly authoritarian Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia’s fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else in the 14 years since his party took office.

The newly formed Students’ List movement was shaped by university students but none actually appeared on the election list. Instead, its candidates are little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.

This approach was meant to counter Vucic’s one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. The students’ message during the campaign focused on a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia’s economy and restore its democracy.

The students have used youthful energy to attract voters who are disillusioned with local politicians. Vilified by pro-government media, they cycled and walked through the country to reach voters in rural areas — Vucic’s traditional strongholds.

The student victory echoed the recent electoral defeat of a Vucic ally in Hungary, where youth participation helped oust the autocratic Viktor Orbán after 16 years and bring in a new pro-European government. It was likely to resonate beyond Serbia as countries across Europe have faced angry youth and student protests.

The vote was closely watched in the EU

Monitors predicted that total turnout in the election could reach around 70%, unseen in Serbia since 2000. During the day, long queues formed at polling stations in Serbia and in cities around the world. Some in the Serbian diaspora were made to vote in the middle of the night after authorities tied voting hours to local Serbian time.

Recent Serbian elections had been marred by irregularities and the EU was closely watching the conduct of Sunday’s vote in a candidate nation for the bloc’s membership.

Independent election monitors reported dozens of cases of irregularities on Sunday such as photographing of ballots that suggested pressure on voters and attempted vote buying.

Both international and local election monitors had expressed concern about the safety and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.

Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities in Serbia saw violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Canada has received its first pair of new F-35 fighter jets, with Ottawa still deliberating on how many of the American planes it will buy.

The Royal Canadian Air Force announced receiving the two Lockheed Martin jets Friday on social media with a photo from Phoenix showing one plane with a maple-leaf roundel.

The air force could not immediately say when it will start training pilots with the new planes, which U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra recently hailed as “the best fighter in the world.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has paused plans to proceed with a planned order for 88 of these stealth fighter jets, and it may instead have a mixed fleet that includes Gripen jets made by Saab.

Carney launched a review of the purchase amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated trade and annexation threats, and the review was supposed to have concluded a year ago.

Last year, Trump mused about providing allies with jets that have limited capabilities in order to maintain American supremacy, and former foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy warns in a Saturday blog post that Washington controls software used by F-35 jets.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

B.C. Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson said he was “deeply humbled” by his party’s victory and vowed to earn the trust British Columbians have placed in him.

Doerkson’s BC Conservatives won a resounding victory on Saturday night, with Global News projecting a majority government less than an hour after polls closed.

“I’m very excited that yesterday British Columbians chose change and they chose that,” Doerkson said Sunday in his first official news conference after election day. “People in every corner of this province, from the Peace to the island, from the Kootenays to the Coast placed their trust in us … It was lent to us for purpose and it must be earned back every single day.”

The man who was previously a relatively unknown backbench MLA took the reins of the party as an interim leader heading into the election after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned amid numerous departures.

On Sunday, his party was projected to win 64 seats, a total no party has surpassed since the BC Liberals won 77 seats in 2001.

Outgoing premier David Eby triggered the election less than two years into his mandate, initially saying it was necessary in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, though he later shifted his focus to affordability issues, a key part of Doerkson’s campaign.

Doerkson stressed he was an ally of British Columbia when asked about Trump reposting about the Conservatives’ win on his Truth Social platform.

“I’m an ally to British Columbia and we should have taken the opportunity years ago to protect ourselves against these attacks,” Doerkson said. “My focus is going to be to supercharge our economy … It’s just about endless, where I believe we can support different industries that will protect us against these attacks.”

Work was already underway in forming government, with the premier-designate saying he’s spoken with Lt. Gov. Wendy Cocchia and named Kim Henderson as chair of the government’s transition team. Henderson previously served as deputy minister to then-premier Christy Clark.

“When this party is sworn in, it will be ready on day one and it will hit the ground running,” he said.

He said his government will launch an independent review of the province’s finances on day one to “know where things stand,” promising residents would have a “full picture” before a budget is tabled.

He also reiterated campaign promises, stating within the first 100 days an expert commission would look into keeping emergency rooms open and cutting wait times.

But the first priority, Doerkson said, was raising the basic personal exemption to $32,000, amounting to about $1,000 a year “back in the pocket” of working British Columbians.

“These are serious times, people are stretched, the economy has stalled and too many British Columbians have stopped believing government can get anything done,” he said.

Though the BC Conservatives won a resounding victory, they also achieved a majority with the lowest voter turnout in decades. Preliminary figures from Elections BC show 48 per cent of those eligible voted. Prior to this year, no provincial election in recent history has seen turnout fall below 50 per cent.

Doerkson’s party was projected to win 64 seats with 48.05 per cent of the votes, with the NDP receiving 27 seats and 37.38 per cent. The Green Party won two seats and received 10.97 per cent.

During the campaign, Eby questioned if Doerkson would remain as premier going forward. As interim leader of the party, he is not currently permitted to run in an eventual leadership race.

Asked whether he would stay, Doerkson said that’s an “administrative detail” that will see information provided “imminently.”

“But I will remain leader of the party and I am thrilled to be the premier-elect of British Columbia right now,” he added.

The next premier also faced questions on his stance on repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

He stressed he was committed to working with First Nations as premier, but remained firm on his plan.

“It has not worked in this province, and frankly, it has caused more problems to date than I think potentially anything else,” Doerkson said, questioning what it has done to solve problems in the province.

Congratulations for the premier-designate have come in from across the province and country, with Doerkson adding he’s heard from “a number of First Nations,” including in his riding of Cariboo Chilcotin.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew  congratulated Doerkson on his win and thanked Eby for his friendship over the past few years.

Kinew did have caution though when questioned about Doerkson’s policies on DRIPA and Indigenous rights.

“I think the election results in BC should concern every elected politician and every consultant out there for this reason,” Kinew said. “It’s a reminder that what we’re doing is not a game. When you’re elected to serve the people of your province or of your country, it is a serious responsibility that isn’t to be played with.”

A date for when Doerkson’s government will be sworn in has yet to be announced and he did not say if there would be a fall session, though he didn’t rule it out.

—with files from Global News’ Amy Judd

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A new Canadian approach to treating a common heart rhythm condition could change the game for patients who deal with atrial fibrillation or AFib.

AFib is considered the most common arrhythmia and occurs in the upper chambers of the heart.

Affecting one to two per cent of the general population, the irregular heartbeat can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue, but can lead to severe consequences such as stroke or heart failure.

Fatigue caused Jon Davies of Edmonton to suspect something was wrong.

“I used to go mountain hiking and played a lot of squash and then that sort of quickly went away as I got into my early 50s,” he told Global News in an interview. “I just figured it was old age and having a desk job and not enough exercise maybe.”

His wife, Nora, said he was often tired and would sleep a lot.

He was eventually diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, but when speaking about treatment options he was left in shock.

“They told me that my heart had enlarged so much that it wouldn’t make sense for them to treat it surgically, so that’s when they said you’re going to stay on blood thinners,” Davies said.

Until this year, he said he’s had to accept the “status quo,” adding he got a second opinion with the same result.

People with AFib often receive treatment either through medication or with what’s known as “catheter ablation.”

“Patients are usually sedated or put to sleep entirely and we put little tubes in the groins and we pass wires into the heart, cross over to the left side of the heart and what we try and do is kill the tissue around the pulmonary veins,” said Dr. Paul Angaran, cardiac arrhythmia director at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

The process involves creating tiny scars in an area of the heart, according to the Mayo Clinic. During AFib, faulty signals can tell the heart to beat irregularly. The scars prevent those faulty signals from reaching their target.

“Typically we burn, so we use energy sources that overheat the tissue and sometimes we can use energy sources that freeze the tissue,” said Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri, the director of minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital. “But either way, we create these scars that become permanent and stop the irregular heart rate.”

But Angaran said not everyone with AFib will see such a treatment be effective.

Angaran joined with Bisleri to develop a new approach for helping people with AFib.

The result is a two-part robotic technique using ablations from outside the heart and then going inside using a catheter technique.

“It allows us to not only use the robotic technologies which give us more dexterity, more ability to reach and see the heart, but also to treat broader areas of the heart with the ablation,” Bisleri said.

Using both minimally invasive robotic surgery and catheter technology is a Canadian first, Bisleri said.

Patients interested in the procedure must be referred to Bisleri and Angaran, but the former told Global News while a referral is simple there isn’t enough awareness of their approach.

Patients need to wait a few weeks or months between each procedure, with Angaran noting doctors want patients’ scars on the outside to have healed before they proceed with the internal procedure.

One of their first patients was Davies, who learned about the procedure by searching online.

Davies had the first part of the procedure, the robotic technique, in September and is expected to return to Toronto in the coming weeks for the catheter ablation.

“It’s nice to be able to potentially, you know, take that diagnosis and direct it in a much more human, in a way that, you know, appreciate much more than the alternative,” he said.

Angaran told Global News that in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation, the long-term success rate through this approach could hit as high as 70 to 80 per cent.

—with files from Global News’ Katherine Ward

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms.

Whether you’re working with a small condo, a basement with low ceilings or a room that just feels dim, the right lighting can completely transform how your home look and feels. From strategic fixture swaps to simple upgrades that maximize brightness, these lighting ideas will help your space look larger, airier and more inviting – no major renovation (or huge budget) required. Use the three-layer lighting rule to combine ambient light for overall brightness, task lighting for focused activities and accent lighting to highlight features, creating a balanced, functional and inviting space and to enhance your family’s comfort, safety and style. From Article, Govee, Anthropologie and beyond, bring some much-needed brightness into the year’s darkest months with these top picks.

 

 

Chandeliers serve the dual purpose of providing both a decorative focal point to your space and ceiling lighting with multiple lights. They easily brighten up a space and if you prefer a modern look to the delicate crystal versions – that’s an option these days too. Still, if you love a little shine (and honestly, who doesn’t?), the Cadza chandelier delivers. With a sleek brass finish, bright LED bulbs and adjustable arms, it’s fully customizable. Hang it, tweak it and let its warm glow highlight everything you love about your space.[/product_listing]

 

Ideal for smaller spaces, flush-mount lighting sits close to the ceiling, minimizing visual clutter. This Pottery Barn polished Cooper ribbed glass flush mount beauty blends iron and glass with your choice of nickel, brass, or bronze finishes. It’s dimmer-compatible, UL-approved for bathrooms or covered outdoor spaces and fits two standard bulbs. It’s simple to maintain, features a classic style and offers plenty of glow – just add your favourite bulbs and enjoy.[/product_listing]

 

Mounted on walls for ambient or accent lighting, the Clarissa armed sconce requires no floor real estate and puts a fresh spin on a vintage lantern silhouette. With a brushed nickel finish and a soft white fabric shade, it casts a warm, flattering glow. Style it bedside, in the kitchen, or above the sofa for an effortlessly chic statement.[/product_listing]

 

Floor lamps are a great way to add some freestanding light for corners or reading nooks. Wayfair’s Nalan tripod floor lamp is equal parts stylish and practical. With sleek metal legs, a soft drum shade and subtle industrial vibes, it brightens bedrooms and living spaces with ease. A handy foot switch and sturdy, lightweight design make it cozy and effortlessly versatile.[/product_listing]

 

You may also like:

6 Pack Under Cabinet Lights – $44.62

Glass Flameless Candles with Remote – $35.99

Hatch Restore 3 Sunrise Alarm Clock – $229.99

 

Usually installed above or beside bathroom mirrors, it can also be used as accent lighting to showcase your favorite artwork or other design features. This large slender golden scone has a sleek, tapered design and casts a warm, diffused light that enhances any room – from bathrooms to living areas. Featuring a polished brass metal frame and integrated LED bulbs, it’s stylish, functional and ready to elevate your home.[/product_listing]

 

Used to set a specific atmosphere or feeling, mood lighting often features dimmers, warm bulbs, or color-changing lights. We love this dimmable floor lamp from Amazon as a prime example of this. Three white glass globes on a gold frame create a modern, luxurious look while dimmable LEDs with a handy rotary switch let you find the perfect glow. The sturdy metal base keeps it safe and stable, making it ideal for living rooms, bedrooms or even busy office spaces.[/product_listing]

 

Smart lighting systems are controlled via apps, voice assistants, or some form of automation, allowing you to customize the brightness, color or lighting schedule for your home. Case in point: the Philips Hue Signe Gradient smart floor lamp. This sleek design delivers warm-to-cool whites and virtually millions of colors, creating stunning gradient effects for instant mood lighting. Control it with the Hue app or voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant, and unlock advanced automations and seamless smart-home integration by adding a Hue Bridge..[/product_listing]

 

Decorative lighting acts as a design statement while also providing light. The fixture itself is the focal point while brightening your room to boot. Bring whimsy to any space with the Merkury Innovations mushroom table lamp from Walmart. Standing 7.9 inches tall, its playful mushroom-shaped shade casts a cozy, warm glow. With a soft matte ceramic finish, four warm white LEDs and battery-powered convenience, it’s a fun and charming addition to bedrooms, desks, or living areas.[/product_listing]

 

Bonus:

This sleek, app-controlled floor lamp proves that statement lighting can also be seriously smart. Customize brightness, colours, and lighting effects right from your phone–or sync it with SmartThings for seamless smart-home control. With its modern silhouette and immersive ambient glow, it’s the kind of lamp that sets the mood while quietly stealing the spotlight.[/product_listing]

 

You may also like:

Amazon Basics LED Puck Lights – $14.66

Modern Candle Warmer Lamp – $39.58

Ophouliy Set of 2 Cordless Table Lamps – $39,99

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

One of the four Canadian Armed Forces members killed last week in the deadly CFB Wainwright fire was remembered as “one of the bravest and funniest people” as family and friends paid their respects.

Hundreds gathered Sunday at Park Memorial Funeral Home in Edmonton to say farewell to 26-year-old Sgt. Morgan Wong, who died Oct. 17.

“Long before he was the fearless soldier many of you came to know, he was one of the bravest and funniest people I’ve ever met,” said his sister, Megan Wong. “He was always making us laugh and he could always find a solution to any problem.”

The 26-year-old was born in Edmonton and graduated from the University of Alberta in 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He also held certificates in real estate and civil-military leadership.

His family said he served as a medical first responder with St. John Ambulance in 2022.

In December 2017, Wong joined the CAF and served on Operation Reassurance in Latvia from October 2024 to June 2025.

Last Saturday, he was participating in live-fire exercises as part of training for potential deployment overseas, including in Latvia and other regions.

Lt.-Col. Bryn Wright, commanding officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, said he knew Wong throughout the soldier’s time in the CAF and commended him for his professionalism and commitment to the military.

“Sgt. Morgan Wong is no longer with us in body, but he remains with us in spirit,” Wright said. “He lives on in the soldiers he trained, in the standards he upheld, and the friendships he built, and in the family who loved him.

“Prepared, dependable, always on the ball. That was Sgt. Morgan Wong.”

Fellow soldiers also spoke at Wong’s funeral, including MCpl. Scott Gilroy who spoke of how the two men took courses together and were promoted to sergeant together.

“From the very beginning of our careers, we’re side-by-side, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for,” Gilroy said. “Morgan Wong always brought people together no matter how busy in life you got or what everyone had going on … He was the kind of guy who made sure friendships didn’t fade no matter where life took us.”

Staff Sgt. Anesh Raju said he struggled writing his eulogy because he wasn’t sure how to describe someone “who was so selfless.”

“He was a warrior in the truest sense of the word, not simply because he wore the uniform but because the character with which he wore it,” Raju said.

Wong was killed Oct. 17 when a grass fire overtook soldiers during a live-fire exercise at CFB Wainwright. Pte. Aidan Goulding, Pte. Shaun Farrell and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark also died.

Another 39 soldiers were taken to hospital. As of Thursday, 27 remained in hospital, including 13 in critical condition.

An investigation is ongoing into the fire, with military officials saying Thursday that the decision to hold the live-fire training exercise later in the day during a high-risk fire month was part of the probe into the incident.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Brazilians began voting in Sunday’s polarizing presidential runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, a contest that will determine whether the U.S. will significantly expand its growing influence in Latin America.

Polls ahead of the vote showed the two candidates, who need more than 50 per cent of the vote to become Brazil’s next leader in January, in a neck-and-neck race. The election pits the left-of-center veteran politician Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and the son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro bested Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month. However, more than 33 million voters out of nearly 160 million did not turn out even though voting is compulsory.

The difference between the two candidates is stark. Bolsonaro and Lula have opposing ideological views on issues ranging from U.S.-Brazil relations and climate change to social welfare.

A win for Bolsonaro would signify a pivot to the right by Latin America’s most populous country and its largest economy, in a year when Trump allies have notched victories in Chile, Peru and Colombia.

A victory for Lula would leave Brazil and Mexico, which is the region’s second most populous country and led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, with left-of-center leaders.

In many ways, Brazil’s runoff vote resembles a rematch between the country’s two polarized political forces that trigger passion as much as loathing. Four years ago, Lula beat Bolsonaro’s father by the narrowest margin since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. Polls suggest that this election will be even closer.

Security and cost-of-living concerns

Lula, who first governed the country between 2003 and 2010, has faced a tough reelection battle because of concerns about the cost of living and security. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to bring down food costs.

Both have been hit by corruption suspicions involving family members and allies, with Bolsonaro implicated in a sprawling scandal rocking Brazil. Lula spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled.

Bolsonaro’s admission that he accepted about US$12 million from disgraced former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film on his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign. He is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the case.

As Bolsonaro voted at a school in Rio de Janeiro around 8 a.m., his supporters shouted “Lula, thief, your place is in prison” while Lula’s supporters chanted in his support.

“The time of real change has arrived,” Bolsonaro told journalists. “Brazil can’t go on another four years on its current trajectory.”

Fabianne Borges Santoro, a 45-year-old physiotherapist in Rio de Janeiro, once voted for Lula’s party but now associates it with corruption.

“The Workers’ Party has been in power for a long time and the voice of the people is saying that we need change to see improvements in security and the cost of living,” she said.

In the lead-up to the vote, Lula frequently portrayed Bolsonaro, whose father is under house arrest for attempting a coup, as a threat to democracy. Bolsonaro has promised to seek an amnesty for his father if elected.

The next president will name at least three Supreme Court justices out of 11 in his next term due to upcoming retirements. Bolsonaro has long taken aim at the country’s top court — which has been rocked by a corruption scandal — and promised to push for judiciary reform.

Lula, trying to lure undecided voters, has invested in costly incentives since he lost the first round of voting. His government’s most recent moves have been endorsing a debt relief program for small businesses and promising free public transportation on weekends. A win for the incumbent came with the Senate’s approval of the end of the six-day working week — a popular proposal backed by the government.

He thanked his voters for an outpouring of support in recent days as he voted in the city of Sao Bernardo do Campo, where he kicked off his political career as a union leader in the 1960s.

“It is a lot of generosity, a lot of care, a lot of love. I will be forever grateful,” Lula said.

“Lula is a man of the people and he knows what it’s like to be poor,” said Luzia da Souza, who runs a bar in a middle-class neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. “I find it impossible not to vote for him.”

The Trump administration has loomed large

Lula has criticized the U.S. president before Brazil’s election, speaking about the risks of U.S. intervention in Brazilian elections after the Trump administration imposed high tariffs against Brazilian exports, sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who chaired the investigation that ended up resulting in the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro and classified drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which experts say may have been intended to make Lula look soft on crime.

Flávio Bolsonaro has touted his proximity to the White House and insisted that Brazil needs to strike better deals with the Trump administration, including the rare minerals economy. Brazil estimates that its deposits hold up to 21 million tons, second only to China. He denies he’s being helped by the U.S. government.

Voting in Brazil is conducted electronically and the result is usually available within hours after polling stations close at 5 p.m. in Brasilia.

–Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.

© 2026 The Canadian Press