Lula Wins Fourth Term in Brazil, Overturning a First-Round Deficit Against Flávio Bolsonaro

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected president of Brazil, beating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's runoff after trailing him three weeks earlier. With virtually all ballots counted, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court put Lula at about 51.8% of valid votes against 48.2% for Bolsonaro, a margin of close to 4.4 million votes. The result was confirmed late on Sunday night, Brazilian time.

In the first round on October 4, Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, had finished ahead with roughly 47% to Lula's 45% (see our earlier coverage). Lula is the first candidate since direct presidential elections returned in 1989 to win a runoff after finishing second in the opening round.

How the gap closed

After the first-round setback, Lula's campaign was reorganised around younger voters and turnout. More than 33 million Brazilians had skipped the first round, giving both sides a large pool to chase. The government also leaned on popular measures in the final weeks, including a debt-relief programme for small businesses, a promise of free weekend public transport and Senate backing for ending the six-day working week.

Bolsonaro built his campaign around crime and the cost of food, but it was dogged by his admission that he had accepted about $12 million from former banker Daniel Vorcaro to fund a film about his father. He is under investigation in connection with that case.

A disputed final two hours

Election day ended in confusion. Minutes before polls were due to close, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting by two hours after requests from both campaigns: Lula's side cited buses that failed to run in São Paulo and Salvador, while Bolsonaro's side pointed to heavy rain in the south. Some polling stations had already shut their machines by the time the order arrived. Bolsonaro allies have noted that Zanin was once Lula's lawyer, and a legal challenge to the extension is possible.

In Bahia, a state judge ordered the arrest of Salvador's mobility secretary after at least 75 city buses were kept in their garages during voting, an episode Lula described as an attempt to stop poorer voters from reaching the polls.

What it means beyond Brazil

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, has been an open critic of US President Donald Trump, whose administration has imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian exports. His win runs against a recent regional trend of Trump-aligned candidates winning in Latin America and leaves the region's two most populous countries, Brazil and Mexico, under left-of-centre governments.

For India, the continuity matters in practical ways. Lula has been a strong backer of the BRICS grouping and of closer South-South trade, and Brazil remains a key partner on agriculture, ethanol and critical minerals. A Bolsonaro government had signalled a tighter alignment with Washington, including on rare earths, where Brazil holds some of the world's largest estimated deposits.

The hard part starts in January

Lula's new term begins on January 5, 2027. He faces rising public debt, voter anger over living costs and a Congress that leans conservative. In his victory speech in São Paulo he pledged to govern for all Brazilians while insisting the country would not become anyone's backyard, a line aimed squarely at Washington. This is widely expected to be the final term of a political career that began in the trade union movement in the 1970s.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.