Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defeated right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil\u2019s contentious presidential race, pulling off a remarkable comeback after a first-round loss that galvanised the country\u2019s political right.<\/p>\n
Shortly after 9pm Brasilia time on Sunday (00:00 GMT), Brazil\u2019s Superior Electoral Court called the race for Lula, who had earned more than 51 percent of the vote. More than 64 million ballots were cast for the incumbent.<\/p>\n
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Bolsonaro, meanwhile, netted 48 percent, or north of 59 million ballots. More than 4 million votes separated the two candidates, with the final votes still being counted.<\/p>\n
Coughing and audibly hoarse, Lula took to a flag-draped podium shortly after to give his victory speech. He acknowledged clashes ahead, including with his legislative agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not choose the Congress,\u201d he said, citing the legislature\u2019s rightward tilt. \u201cIt was the people who chose it, and it is with them that I will vote, work and get things approved.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also thanked the voters who cast their ballots \u201cto secure democracy in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
With his victory, Lula has made history. No other politician in modern Brazilian history has lost the first round of a presidential election only to win the second.<\/p>\n
\u201cA historic turning point for democracy,\u201d Edinho Silva, the head of Lula\u2019s Workers\u2019 Party, posted<\/a> on social media, along with a video<\/a> of supporters chanting, \u201cOle, ole, ole, ole, ola! Lula, Lula!\u201d<\/p>\n But Bolsonaro has so far refused to concede, teeing up a likely court battle over the legality of a Supreme Court decision to extend the voting time by two hours.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is impossible to acknowledge the result,\u201d Bolsonaro said in a short speech, accusing the Supreme Court of having \u201cchanged the rules of the game mid-game\u201d. He added that he would seek an annulment of the results.<\/p>\n Tumult in the voting process<\/p>\n Leaders across the Western Hemisphere, particularly on the left, applauded the result. \u201cLong live democracy, the people of Brazil have won,\u201d Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote<\/a> in the wake of the results. \u201cCongratulations, President Lula!\u201d<\/p>\n United States Senator Bernie Sanders likewise offered his felicitations, calling Lula\u2019s re-election \u201cextraordinary\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cLula has stood up for Brazilian workers & democracy \u2014 and will continue to do so in the next four years,\u201d Sanders said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, the vote process was marred by allegations of voter suppression after reports emerged that public transport in some areas had been suspended.<\/p>\n Lula\u2019s allies accused Bolsonaro\u2019s supporters of reducing bus availability in an attempt to dampen the president\u2019s working-class base.<\/p>\n Heavy rains, meanwhile, affected southern areas considered to be Bolsonaro strongholds.<\/p>\n The campaigns of both Lula and Bolsonaro ultimately petitioned the Supreme Court for a voting extension. Polls across the country were kept open two hours later than expected, until 7pm Brasilia time (22:00 GMT), following a ruling from Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro, however, has argued that some polling stations were not able to reopen in time, harming any additional votes he may have earned.<\/p>\n A left-wing victory<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s victory means Lula will retain the presidency of Latin America\u2019s largest country, denying a crucial victory to the region\u2019s right wing.<\/p>\n In recent years, right-wing leaders have swept presidential races in nearby countries like Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. Many have ridden a wave of anti-incumbent energy and enjoyed support from US President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025.<\/p>\n A former union leader for metalworkers, Lula \u2013 at age 80 \u2013 will be sworn in on January 5, 2027, when he will beat his own record as the oldest Brazilian president to take the oath of office since the country\u2019s return to democracy.<\/p>\n His victory has earned him an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term.<\/p>\n Lula came into Sunday\u2019s run-off as an underdog. While he narrowly led pre-election, the first round of voting on October 4 showed him trailing Bolsonaro.<\/p>\n He earned 45 percent of the first-round vote, compared with the right-wing senator\u2019s 47 percent, both tallies short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off.<\/p>\n But in the weeks since, Lula has rallied supporters around cost-of-living issues. He championed a constitutional amendment passed this month that shortened the Brazilian workweek, and floated the possibility of providing free public transport on weekends.<\/p>\n Having entered politics in the 1980s, during the twilight of the country\u2019s military dictatorship, Lula has run for president seven times.<\/p>\n He won two consecutive terms from 2002 through 2010, as well as a third term in 2022, in what was the tightest race in modern Brazilian history up to that point.<\/p>\n His rival in that election, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, is the father of Senator Bolsonaro, Lula\u2019s adversary in this race.<\/p>\n Jair Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in plotting a coup following his loss to Lula.<\/p>\n Despite overseeing a decline in poverty and low unemployment during his third term, Lula has faced questions about his advanced age, his ability to combat crime, and the country\u2019s polarised political landscape.<\/p>\n An explosion of household debt has also left many Brazilians feeling their economic circumstances have worsened.<\/p>\n In September, Lula banned online gambling and sport betting apps to address the issue.<\/p>\n Uncertainty ahead<\/p>\n While the victory over Bolsonaro cements Lula\u2019s status as one of the most significant and influential figures in Brazil\u2019s modern history, efforts to advance legislative priorities during his fourth term could be stymied by the most right-wing Congress in recent memory.<\/p>\n There are also questions about how Bolsonaro\u2019s right-wing base and the Trump administration might react to Lula\u2019s re-election.<\/p>\n Already, Bolsonaro has suggested he would seek to nullify the election, citing the prolonged voting hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened today was not normal. It was, in fact, unacceptable,\u201d Bolsonaro told his supporters.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, also suggested there had been judicial malpractice as a result of the extension.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a conservative government in Brazil did this, everyone in the mainstream press in America would lose their minds, but I guess they\u2019re just choosing to be silent because it\u2019s all for the cause,\u201d Trump Jr wrote<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n The Trump White House has been openly supportive of the Bolsonaro family, issuing 50-percent tariffs last year on certain Brazilian products in a push to end the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro.<\/p>\n Judges involved in the case were also subjected to US sanctions, most notably Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.<\/p>\n Lula has framed such manoeuvres as an attack on the sovereignty of Brazil\u2019s judicial system.<\/p>\n One of Trump\u2019s critics, US Representative Ro Khanna, suggested the US president could take further actions against Brazil in response to Sunday\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n