Bolsonaro Leaves Brazil After Election Defeat as Lula Secures Fourth Term

Lula wins the run-off

With all votes counted, the electoral court announced Lula’s victory over Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula received 51.8% of the total vote and led by nearly 4.4 million votes.

The result followed a first round in which Bolsonaro had won 47% and Lula 45%. It marks the first time since the end of Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1985 that the second-place candidate from the first round went on to win the presidency.

Lula, who began his political career as a union leader in the 1970s, has previously served two terms. His next term is due to begin on January 5 2027.

Voting extension draws challenge

The count was delayed after Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling stations to remain open for two extra hours, following requests from both candidates. Lula cited transport problems in Sao Paulo and Salvador; Bolsonaro pointed to heavy rain in southern Brazil. Electoral court president Kassio Nunes Marques said the extra voting time did not affect the result. Law professor Joao Pedro Padua said Bolsonaro could bring a case, but added that “there isn’t much legal basis for that.”

Celebrations and political stakes

Lula celebrated with his wife, First Lady Rosangela da Silva, and political allies after the result was confirmed. Supporters gathered in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where crowds cheered and cars sounded their horns.

Addressing supporters, Lula said he would respect Brazilians regardless of gender or religion. He called the outcome “a defeat for denialism and lies” and said Brazil would not become “anyone’s backyard.” The result keeps Latin America’s largest economy independent of the United States, the report said, despite increased tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro supporter Rodrigo Valentim said another Lula government would harm the economy.

A disputed political legacy

Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The former president has the right to seek a recount if he has evidence of fraud, though the report said that might not change the result.

Lula’s political history includes founding the Workers’ Party and winning the presidency in 2002 and 2006. Dilma Rousseff, one of his cabinet ministers, succeeded him in 2010 and won re-election in 2014.

Rousseff was impeached in 2016 over accounting manoeuvring amid a corruption investigation that also ensnared Lula. Sunday’s victory is likely to be the last of Lula’s political career.