Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term in office on Sunday with 51.79% of votes, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff election.
Lula's victory marks a dramatic reversal. Bolsonaro's son had won the first round on 4 October with 47% to Lula's 45%. But turnout surged in the second round, with the largest drop in abstention between two rounds since 1989. Lula addressed jubilant crowds in São Paulo, saying his victory was a "loss for negativity, lies" and calling for democracy to flourish.
Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to recognise the result and called for it to be annulled, following his father's response to his 2022 election loss. The challenger's challenge centres on Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin's decision to extend voting nationwide by two hours. Bolsonaro supporters have alleged bias because Zanin was once Lula's lawyer. However, both campaigns had requested the extension. Lula's team cited insufficient buses in São Paulo and Bahia, while Bolsonaro's cited heavy rain. Kássio Nunes Marques, the president of the Supreme Electoral Court and an appointee of Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed Lula's victory and stated the extension did not change the outcome. The 4.4 million vote gap makes a successful challenge difficult.
Lula becomes the first Brazilian president elected to four terms, with his new term lasting until 2030. He previously served from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2023. The 80-year-old former metal worker told supporters this term "will be the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people." Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin said Lula had "for the second time, saved Brazilian democracy."
Financial markets reacted negatively. The São Paulo stock exchange opened 15% down, triggering a brief suspension before recovering slightly. Interest rate futures rose as investors examined Lula's fiscal plans.
World leaders across the political spectrum congratulated Lula. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said "The people of Brazil won." Peru's President Keiko Fujimori praised Brazil's "democratic day." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracy and multilateralism had won. US President Donald Trump has not yet responded. Trump previously supported Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence after conviction on coup-attempt charges.
In his victory speech, Lula insisted Brazil "will not accept being anyone's backyard," an apparent reference to Trump's stated "Monroe Doctrine" aimed at establishing US dominance in the Western Hemisphere.