Lula Claims Fourth Presidency with 4.4 Million Vote Margin

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won 51.79% of the vote in Brazil's presidential runoff, securing a fourth term in office. He defeated right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who received 48.21% of the total. The margin between the two candidates was 4.4 million votes.

The race followed a contentious first round held on October 4. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, led that initial vote with 47% of the total, while Lula trailed with 45%. Lula’s campaign shifted strategy for the second round, focusing on increasing voter participation after 33 million people abstained in the first vote. Abstention rates dropped sharply in the final round, marking the largest decrease between rounds since 1989.

Voting on Sunday evening was extended by two hours in a rare move by the Supreme Court. Lula’s team requested the extension citing a lack of buses in São Paulo and Bahia. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign cited heavy rain in the south and São Paulo. Supreme Court President Kassio Nunes Marques issued the order as polling stations were set to close. Some locations that had already shut down could not reopen. Marques confirmed Lula’s victory and stated that the extension did not disrupt the count.

Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to acknowledge the result. He described the outcome as inexplicable and impossible, arguing that the election should be annulled. Electoral law experts indicate that annulment is unlikely. Fernando Neisser of the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo noted the large margin of victory makes a legal challenge difficult. Alberto Rollo added that constitutional dates for presidential elections create further complications for overturning the result.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, becomes the first Brazilian president to win a fourth term. His new term begins on January 5 and runs until 2030. He previously served two non-consecutive terms from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2023. In a victory speech in São Paulo, Lula called the result a loss for negativity and lies. He stated that his fourth term will be the best in the country’s history and the one where he listens most to the Brazilian people.

Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin told Lula that he had saved Brazilian democracy for the second time. Lula also addressed his relationship with the United States, referencing President Donald Trump’s Donroe Doctrine. Lula insisted that Brazil will not accept being anyone’s backyard. Trump had previously supported Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for a coup attempt. Flávio Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House earlier this year to seek backing.

International leaders have reacted to the victory. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracy and multilateralism had won. French President Emmanuel Macron called for the two nations to work in service of a more just world. Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Azin highlighted shared challenges in the region. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it a great victory. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the win as a victory for the global south.