Lula Takes Brazil's Presidency Again, Beating Flávio Bolsonaro by 4.3 Million
The 80-year-old incumbent secured 51.79% of the vote in a runoff that reversed first-round polls, while his rival refused to acknowledge the loss.
By Priya Nair ·
Brazilian voters chose Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a fourth nonconsecutive term on Sunday, ending a tight race that flipped in his favor during the final week of the campaign. The Workers' Party leader captured 51.79 percent of the vote, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who received 48.21 percent. The margin represented roughly 4.3 million votes out of 159 million cast across the country. Results were confirmed shortly after midnight UK time on October 26, 2026.
Lula's victory marked a rare turnaround in Brazilian politics. In the first round earlier this month, Flávio Bolsonaro led by 2.3 million votes, securing 47.03 percent of the total compared to Lula's 45.16 percent. Since democracy was restored in 1985, a first-round runner-up had never won the subsequent runoff. The gap narrowed sharply in the weeks between ballots, with final polls showing the candidates separated by only fractions of a percentage point.
Several factors shifted momentum toward Lula. A record 21 percent abstention rate in the first round disproportionately affected lower-income voters, prompting progressive groups to organize intense mobilization efforts. Millions of supporters joined a WhatsApp group that distributed daily instructions for spreading supportive content online. Lula, who recently acquired his first smartphone, began posting on Instagram and TikTok, allowing his digital reach to surpass that of the Bolsonaro campaign for the first time.
The Bolsonaro campaign faced internal challenges, including a report by the magazine Piauí alleging that Flávio Bolsonaro attended a 2020 boat party with sex workers and vaccine lobbyists. External pressures also influenced the race. President Donald Trump called Jair Bolsonaro's ongoing trial a witch hunt and imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports. Lula positioned himself as a counterweight to these policies, balancing relations with the United States, China, and Russia.
Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to concede the election, citing a last-minute two-hour extension of voting hours. He described the outcome as impossible to accept, though both candidates had initially requested the extension for different reasons. Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, faces a newly elected Congress containing a record number of right-wing politicians. His administration has overseen a more than 70 percent drop in Amazon deforestation since his return to office in 2023.
The race also involved scrutiny of social media influence. A dozen watchdog groups alleged that Meta favored the Bolsonaro campaign, prompting Brazil's electoral court to order the company to prevent unequal treatment. Meta rejected the claims as false and unfounded. Lula will begin his new term with a mandate to address economic and security concerns that dominated voter discourse during the final debate.
Source: The Guardian
