Lula Secures Fourth Term in Brazil After Late Vote Extension

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term in office on Sunday, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of 4.4 million votes. Lula received 51.79% of the total count, while Flávio Bolsonaro took 48.21%. This result marks the first time a Brazilian president has won election after losing the initial first-round voting since civilian rule returned in 1985.

The final tally followed an unusual two-hour extension of voting hours on Sunday evening. Both campaigns requested the delay for different reasons. Lula’s team argued that voters in São Paulo and Bahia faced transportation issues due to a lack of buses. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign cited heavy rainfall in southern Brazil and São Paulo as the cause for the delay. The Supreme Court approved the extension just as polling stations were scheduled to close, a decision that prevented some already-shut stations from reopening.

Kassio Nunes Marques, the President of the Supreme Court who was appointed by former president Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed the victory. He stated that the extension did not create problems for the vote count or the electoral process. The outcome surprised many observers because Flávio Bolsonaro led the first round of voting on October 4. In that earlier vote, the son of the former president received 47% of the vote against Lula’s 45%.

Lula’s campaign focused on increasing voter turnout in the final weeks of the race. They targeted the 33 million people who had abstained from voting in the first round. The strategy worked, resulting in the largest drop in abstention between two rounds of a presidential election since 1989. Lula addressed celebratory crowds in São Paulo, declaring the win a defeat for "negativity, lies" and urging his supporters to say "long live democracy."

Flávio Bolsonaro, who is the son of convicted ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, has refused to accept the result. He called for the election to be annulled, describing the outcome as "inexplicable" and "impossible." His father, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for a coup attempt, had also prepared a victory speech. However, legal experts indicate that overturning the result is unlikely. Fernando Neisser of the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo noted that the large margin makes legal challenges difficult. Alberto Rollo added that constitutional rules fixing election dates add further complications to any annulment bid.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, will serve until 2030. He previously held office from January 2003 to December 2010 and resumed his presidency in January 2023. His vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, told Lula that he had "saved Brazilian democracy" for the second time. Lula stated that his fourth term would be the period in which he listened most closely to the Brazilian people.

The new term begins on January 5, 2026, and arrives amid political tensions. Lula’s administration faces friction with the United States, where President Donald Trump has previously supported Jair Bolsonaro. Lula used his victory speech to reject what Trump calls the "Donroe Doctrine," stating that Brazil will not accept being "anyone's backyard." Lula’s win also contrasts with recent electoral trends in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, where right-wing parties have gained power.

World leaders quickly moved to congratulate the winner. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "democracy and multilateralism" had prevailed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the result a "great victory" and a start for "global progressivism." French President Emmanuel Macron proposed working "in service of a more just world." South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the win as a victory for the "global south," while Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa Azin emphasized shared challenges and common enemies in the region. Trump has not yet publicly reacted to the result.