BRAZIL: Lula re-elected as president for fourth term

With 99.81% of votes counted, Lula has secured 51.76% of the vote, compared to Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.24%.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won re-election to secure a fourth non-consecutive term as president of Brazil, the country’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) confirmed, capping off a dramatic comeback following a high-stakes second-round runoff.

The electoral authority declared the 81-year-old incumbent victorious after he mounted a historic political fightback to edge past his conservative challenger, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The result marks the first time since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1988 that a candidate has successfully overcome a first-round deficit to claim the presidency in a runoff.

In the initial round of voting held earlier in October, Flávio Bolsonaro had placed first ahead of Lula, surprising pollsters and setting up a nail-biting head-to-head. However, an intense civil society mobilization and a last-minute push in key populous regions allowed Lula to steadily close the gap and cross the finish line with a narrow majority as vote counting concluded on Sunday evening.

Lula previously served two terms from 2003 to 2011 before returning to the presidency in 2023. His victory secures an unprecedented fourth term at the helm of Latin America’s largest nation and economy. Addressing jubilant supporters during celebrations following the official declaration, campaign leaders emphasized the resilience of Brazil’s democratic institutions throughout the tightly contested election cycle.

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