Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president after historic upset over far-right Flávio Bolsonaro

Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won the second round of Brazil’s presidential election. He narrowly defeated opposition Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and was elected president for a fourth time, though not consecutively.

The country’s top electoral court announced the result of Sunday’s (October 25) vote.

According to the court’s final count, Lula, the candidate of the left-wing Workers’ Party, received 51.76 percent of the vote. Flávio, of the right-wing Liberal Party, received 48.24 percent. Lula’s winning margin was roughly 4.3 to 4.4 million votes. International media, including AFP and AP, reported that his victory was confirmed after 100 percent of the ballots were counted.

In the first round on October 4, no candidate crossed the 50 percent threshold. Flávio led that round with 47.03 percent, while Lula took 45.16 percent. The top two candidates therefore went to a runoff. Several media outlets described it as unprecedented in Brazil’s democratic history for a candidate who trailed in the first round to win the runoff. Flávio led the count early on, but the result swung toward Lula once votes from the country’s northeast began to be tallied.

Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup to prevent the transfer of power after he lost the 2022 election to Lula. He is serving a 27-year sentence and is under house arrest. With his father unable to run, the 45-year-old Flávio became the candidate. During the campaign, he promised close ties with US President Donald Trump and pledged to pardon his father.

Election day was not smooth. Chaos broke out at polling stations across the country after a Supreme Court justice ordered voting extended by two hours at the last minute. Flávio is expected to consider legal action against the decision, and media reports said the Bolsonaro camp may claim the extension benefited Lula.

Lula faced a tough fight amid voter concerns over the cost of living and law and order. Flávio made a tough-on-crime stance the centerpiece of his campaign and promised to bring down food prices. Final polls showed the race as virtually tied, and conservatives had also won seats in Brazil’s recent congressional elections.

Lula’s win keeps left-leaning leadership in both Brazil and Mexico, Latin America’s two most populous countries. Analysts see it as an exception to a regional trend of Trump-aligned right-wing candidates winning elections. Lula turns 81 tomorrow, October 27.