Lula Defeats Flávio Bolsonaro in Runoff to Win a Fourth Term as Brazil’s President

Brazil’s electoral authority confirmed on Sunday that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won reelection, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential runoff to secure a fourth term in office. The Associated Press put Lula at about 51.8 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.2 percent, a margin of nearly 4.4 million votes. Reuters reported the electoral authority’s confirmation on Sunday and described the result as a fourth non-consecutive term for the 80-year-old president.

The published totals differ with the stage of the count, and the Daily prints them as reported. NPR reported during the count that, with more than 96 percent of votes counted, Lula stood above 51 percent. The Superior Electoral Court’s near-final figures, with 99.77 percent of polling sections tallied, gave Lula 51.76 percent — 64,078,503 votes — against 48.24 percent and 59,728,246 votes for Bolsonaro, a margin of 4,350,257 votes.

A Comeback From Second Place

The runoff reversed the first round. On October 4, Bolsonaro finished first with 47.03 percent of valid votes to Lula’s 45.16 percent, and Lula entered the runoff more than 2 million votes behind, CNN reported. Since direct presidential elections returned to Brazil in 1989, every runoff had previously been won by the candidate who finished first in the opening round. The result also makes Lula the first person elected president of Brazil four times: he won in 2002, in 2006 and again in 2022. Sunday’s count swung as it went — Lula led the first returns, Bolsonaro moved ahead as the tally passed its middle, and Lula regained the lead and extended it as the count neared completion.

An Election Day Extended By The Court

Voting did not end on schedule. Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered voting extended by two hours after requests from both campaigns. Lula’s campaign asked for the extension citing “incidents” affecting the buses that provide transportation to polling places in several states, CNN reported; Bolsonaro’s campaign also requested an extension in some areas, citing difficulties voters faced reaching polling stations because of heavy rain. NPR reported that the order did not reach everywhere: some polling stations had already deactivated their voting machines before the extension took effect.

The Two Campaigns

The race was fought over the cost of living, crime and corruption, and over Brazil’s relationship with the United States, in the reporting of the wires. Bolsonaro, 45, a senator from Rio de Janeiro and the Liberal Party candidate, is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost his own reelection bid to Lula in 2022. He touted his close relationship with the administration of President Donald Trump; Trump did not formally endorse him, USA Today reported, and Lula accused the U.S. government of intervening to help his opponent. Lula, of the Workers’ Party, first held the presidency from 2003 to 2010 and returned to it in 2023.

What Comes Next

The Associated Press reported that Lula’s new term begins on January 5, 2027. The defeat is the second straight presidential loss a member of the Bolsonaro family has taken to Lula: Jair Bolsonaro lost to him in 2022, and on Sunday his son Flávio lost the runoff as well.

Sources: Reuters; The Associated Press; NPR; CNN; Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court.