Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defeated far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's presidential runoff, the country's electoral court announced, securing a historic fourth term with 51.8 per cent of the vote.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defeated far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's presidential runoff, the country's electoral court announced, securing a historic fourth term.
With 100 per cent of the vote counted, Lula, 80, led by nearly 4.4 million votes, taking 51.8 per cent against Bolsonaro's 48.2 per cent, according to the court. The result makes Lula the first candidate in Brazil's democratic history to overturn a first-round defeat in a runoff, after Bolsonaro edged him out in the 4 October first round by 47 per cent to 45 per cent.
The victory caps a dramatic fightback. Abstention fell to 19.21 per cent from a record 21.08 per cent in the first round, a decline that Lula's allies had identified as crucial, since his voters tend to live farther from polling stations. Joyous scenes broke out in São Paulo, where supporters packed a conference hall, and on streets across the country.
Bolsonaro, 45, had entered the runoff as the slight favourite after drawing more votes than Lula in the first round, the narrowest margin ever in a Brazilian first round. He had promised during the campaign to seek amnesty for his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election, and to impeach the Supreme Court justices who jailed him and his allies.
Speaking in Brasília late Sunday, Bolsonaro refused to accept the result and said he would seek to have the election annulled. He cited a Supreme Court justice's decision to extend voting by two hours, although both candidates' parties had requested extensions.
Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, began his political career as a union leader in São Paulo's industrial suburbs in the late 1970s and served two terms from 2003 to 2010 before returning to office in 2022. The result provides relief to critics of widening US influence in Latin America. Lula has been a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, while Bolsonaro had aligned himself with Trump, offered Brazil's critical mineral deposits to reduce US reliance on China, and was seen as an enthusiastic ally of Washington. Trump had not formally backed Bolsonaro, but his administration had signalled support by labelling Brazilian gangs as terror groups.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Brazil is the largest nation in Latin America, and Lula's win breaks a run of seven straight right-wing electoral victories in the region over the past 18 months.
- Bolsonaro had promised amnesty for his jailed father and supporters and an overhaul of the Supreme Court; his defeat leaves those promises unrealised.
- Bolsonaro had won support in the Amazon by promising easier exploitation of the rainforest; Lula's victory blocks that agenda and keeps a veteran leftist in power during a period of economic strain.
Background
Brazil's return to democracy in the 1980s had never seen a first-round runner-up go on to win a runoff until Sunday. Lula, a former union leader who governed from 2003 to 2010 and returned in 2022, faced a challenger whose father, Jair Bolsonaro, was convicted of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election and is serving a 27-year prison sentence.
The runoff came three weeks after Bolsonaro won the first round on 4 October by 47 per cent to 45 per cent, a result that cast doubt on Lula's future. Bolsonaro had tapped into voter fatigue with Lula and discontent over crime and living costs, while Lula's campaign leaned on turnout among supporters who tend to live farther from polling stations.
Regionally, the campaign was part of a broader rightward shift. Right-wing leaders had won seven straight elections in Latin America over the previous 18 months, according to The New York Times, and a Bolsonaro victory would have left Mexico as the only big country still in the hands of the left.
Key Perspectives
Flávio Bolsonaro: campaigned on promises to fight drug gangs, cut public spending, privatise public companies, and seek amnesty for his father and the rioters, according to The New York Times.
Lula ally Reginaldo Lopes: said he felt incredible and that "this is Brazil telling the world that the extreme right is fascist, that the extreme right is against black people, is against the poor, against the state, against gay people."
Lula supporter Marta Moraes: said "We've nothing against the right … what we're against is Bolsonarismo."
Bolsonaro supporter Marcos Antonio: said "The US is a great nation. Who wouldn't want to be aligned with them?"
Bolsonaro supporter Antonio Carlos Costa Jr: said "Jair Bolsonaro simply gave citizens the right to defend themselves, and his son will do the same."
What to Watch
- Whether Bolsonaro follows through on possible legal action over the Supreme Court's decision to extend voting by two hours.
- Whether the defeated candidate addresses the nation; his press officer earlier said he would, but his team went silent after the result.
- How Lula's victory affects US-Brazil relations, given his criticism of Trump and Bolsonaro's alignment with Washington.
