Lula secures fourth term with 64 million votes, Bolsonaro promises legal fight
The 80-year-old president defeated Senator Flavio Bolsonaro by more than four million votes after reversing a first-round deficit.
By Beatriz Soto ·
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won re-election on Sunday, securing a fourth non-consecutive term after defeating right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The Superior Electoral Court declared Lula the winner shortly after 9 p.m. Brasilia time. With counting still under way, the incumbent had more than 51 percent of the vote and over 64 million ballots. Bolsonaro received 48 percent of the vote and more than 59 million ballots. The gap between the two candidates exceeded 4 million votes.
The result makes Lula the first politician in modern Brazilian history to win a presidential runoff after losing the opening round. He is scheduled to take office on January 5, 2027. At 80 years old, he will surpass his own record as the oldest president sworn in since Brazil’s return to democracy.
Lula entered the runoff after receiving 45 percent of the vote in the October 4 first round. Bolsonaro led that initial count with 47 percent. Lula subsequently focused his campaign on living costs. He promoted a constitutional amendment passed this month to shorten the workweek and raised the prospect of free public transport on weekends. Although poverty declined and unemployment remained low during his third term, rising household debt fueled economic dissatisfaction. In September, he also banned online gambling and sports betting apps.
The voting process was extended by two hours following disruption and allegations of voter suppression. Reports that public transport had been suspended in some places prompted Lula’s allies to accuse Bolsonaro supporters of limiting bus services to discourage working-class voters. Heavy rainfall also affected southern areas regarded as Bolsonaro strongholds. Polling stations nationwide remained open until 7 p.m. Brasilia time.
Speaking hoarsely and coughing at a podium decorated with flags, Lula thanked voters for defending democracy. He acknowledged the legislative challenges ahead, noting that his next term will face the most right-wing Congress in recent memory. “I do not choose the Congress,” he said. “It was the people who chose it, and it is with them that I will vote, work and get things approved.”
Bolsonaro refused to concede and said he would seek to annul the outcome. He is challenging a Supreme Court decision that extended voting by two hours. Bolsonaro accused the court of changing the rules during the election and said he could not accept the result. Both campaigns had requested the additional time before the extension was granted.
