Lula holds off far right with victory in Brazil presidential election

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defeated right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s contentious presidential race, pulling off a remarkable comeback after a first-round loss that galvanised the country’s political right.

Shortly after 9pm Brasilia time on Sunday (00:00 GMT), Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court called the race for Lula, who had earned more than 51 percent of the vote. More than 64 million ballots were cast for the incumbent.

Bolsonaro, meanwhile, netted 48 percent, or north of 59 million ballots. More than 4 million votes separated the two candidates, with the final votes still being counted.

Coughing and audibly hoarse, Lula took to a flag-draped podium shortly after to give his victory speech. He acknowledged clashes ahead, including with his legislative agenda.

“I do not choose the Congress,” he said, citing the legislature’s rightward tilt. “It was the people who chose it, and it is with them that I will vote, work and get things approved.”

He also thanked the voters who cast their ballots “to secure democracy in the country”.

With his victory, Lula has made history. No other politician in modern Brazilian history has lost the first round of a presidential election only to win the second.

“A historic turning point for democracy,” Edinho Silva, the head of Lula’s Workers’ Party, posted on social media, along with a video of supporters chanting, “Ole, ole, ole, ole, ola! Lula, Lula!”

But Bolsonaro has so far refused to concede, teeing up a likely court battle over the legality of a Supreme Court decision to extend the voting time by two hours.

“It is impossible to acknowledge the result,” Bolsonaro said in a short speech, accusing the Supreme Court of having “changed the rules of the game mid-game”. He added that he would seek an annulment of the results.

Tumult in the voting process

Leaders across the Western Hemisphere, particularly on the left, applauded the result. “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil have won,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote in the wake of the results. “Congratulations, President Lula!”

United States Senator Bernie Sanders likewise offered his felicitations, calling Lula’s re-election “extraordinary”.

“Lula has stood up for Brazilian workers & democracy — and will continue to do so in the next four years,” Sanders said in a statement.

Still, the vote process was marred by allegations of voter suppression after reports emerged that public transport in some areas had been suspended.

Lula’s allies accused Bolsonaro’s supporters of reducing bus availability in an attempt to dampen the president’s working-class base.

Heavy rains, meanwhile, affected southern areas considered to be Bolsonaro strongholds.

The campaigns of both Lula and Bolsonaro ultimately petitioned the Supreme Court for a voting extension. Polls across the country were kept open two hours later than expected, until 7pm Brasilia time (22:00 GMT), following a ruling from Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin.

Bolsonaro, however, has argued that some polling stations were not able to reopen in time, harming any additional votes he may have earned.

A left-wing victory

Sunday’s victory means Lula will retain the presidency of Latin America’s largest country, denying a crucial victory to the region’s right wing.

In recent years, right-wing leaders have swept presidential races in nearby countries like Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. Many have ridden a wave of anti-incumbent energy and enjoyed support from US President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025.

A former union leader for metalworkers, Lula – at age 80 – will be sworn in on January 5, 2027, when he will beat his own record as the oldest Brazilian president to take the oath of office since the country’s return to democracy.

His victory has earned him an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term.

Lula came into Sunday’s run-off as an underdog. While he narrowly led pre-election, the first round of voting on October 4 showed him trailing Bolsonaro.

He earned 45 percent of the first-round vote, compared with the right-wing senator’s 47 percent, both tallies short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

But in the weeks since, Lula has rallied supporters around cost-of-living issues. He championed a constitutional amendment passed this month that shortened the Brazilian workweek, and floated the possibility of providing free public transport on weekends.

Having entered politics in the 1980s, during the twilight of the country’s military dictatorship, Lula has run for president seven times.

He won two consecutive terms from 2002 through 2010, as well as a third term in 2022, in what was the tightest race in modern Brazilian history up to that point.

His rival in that election, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, is the father of Senator Bolsonaro, Lula’s adversary in this race.

Jair Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in plotting a coup following his loss to Lula.

Despite overseeing a decline in poverty and low unemployment during his third term, Lula has faced questions about his advanced age, his ability to combat crime, and the country’s polarised political landscape.

An explosion of household debt has also left many Brazilians feeling their economic circumstances have worsened.

In September, Lula banned online gambling and sport betting apps to address the issue.

Uncertainty ahead

While the victory over Bolsonaro cements Lula’s status as one of the most significant and influential figures in Brazil’s modern history, efforts to advance legislative priorities during his fourth term could be stymied by the most right-wing Congress in recent memory.

There are also questions about how Bolsonaro’s right-wing base and the Trump administration might react to Lula’s re-election.

Already, Bolsonaro has suggested he would seek to nullify the election, citing the prolonged voting hours.

“What happened today was not normal. It was, in fact, unacceptable,” Bolsonaro told his supporters.

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, also suggested there had been judicial malpractice as a result of the extension.

“If a conservative government in Brazil did this, everyone in the mainstream press in America would lose their minds, but I guess they’re just choosing to be silent because it’s all for the cause,” Trump Jr wrote on social media.

The Trump White House has been openly supportive of the Bolsonaro family, issuing 50-percent tariffs last year on certain Brazilian products in a push to end the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro.

Judges involved in the case were also subjected to US sanctions, most notably Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Lula has framed such manoeuvres as an attack on the sovereignty of Brazil’s judicial system.

One of Trump’s critics, US Representative Ro Khanna, suggested the US president could take further actions against Brazil in response to Sunday’s vote.

“People all across the world are fighting back against extremism. With Lula in Brazil, they just won,” Khanna wrote.

“Trump must respect the results and not undermine Brazil’s elections.”