BRASÍLIA, Brazil - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection Sunday, securing an unprecedented fourth nonconsecutive term after defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential runoff.
Brazil’s electoral court declared Lula the winner after all votes were counted. He received 64,256,232 votes, or 51.79%, while Bolsonaro won 59,826,041 votes, or 48.21%. The margin was more than 4.4 million votes.
Bolsonaro, a senator and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, refused to concede. He said he would seek to annul the result over a Supreme Court decision extending voting nationwide by two hours.
The extension was ordered shortly before polls were initially due to close. Both campaigns had requested additional time, with Lula’s team citing disruptions to bus service in São Paulo and Salvador and Bolsonaro’s campaign pointing to heavy rain in southern Brazil.
Electoral officials said the extension did not change the outcome. Legal experts cited by The Associated Press questioned whether Bolsonaro had sufficient grounds to overturn a result decided by millions of votes.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro had led the first round with about 47% of the vote, compared with roughly 45% for Lula. Lula’s comeback made him the first candidate since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections to place second in the first round and then win the runoff.
Fourth Term Begins in January
Lula, 80, previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in 2023. His new term is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, 2027.
Celebrating with supporters, Lula pledged to govern for all Brazilians and defended the country’s sovereignty. His victory interrupts a recent series of gains by right-wing candidates in Latin America and represents a setback for political forces aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The outcome followed a highly polarized campaign shaped by concerns over living costs, public security and household debt. Lula also faced pressure after trailing Bolsonaro by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round.
A Difficult Congress
Lula will begin the term facing one of Brazil’s most conservative Congresses since the country restored democracy. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party and allied lawmakers are positioned to exert substantial influence in both chambers, potentially complicating budget votes, social programs and senior appointments.
Brazil also faces high borrowing costs and mounting fiscal pressure. The central bank’s benchmark Selic rate stands at 13.75%, raising costs for businesses and households and limiting the government’s room to expand spending.
Lula campaigned on maintaining social programs and offering new debt relief. His ability to deliver those pledges will depend heavily on negotiations with a Congress in which conservative parties remain powerful.
The election and Bolsonaro’s announced legal challenge were first reported by Vesti Baku.