In short
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday with 51.7% of the vote to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.2%, a margin of about four million votes.
- Lula, 80, is the first president in Brazil’s history to win after losing the first round of a presidential election, and he turns 81 on Tuesday.
- Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, a senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, called for the vote to be annulled: “It is impossible to recognize the result.”
- A judge ordered polling extended by two hours shortly before the official close, and stations finally shut at 7 p.m. Brasília time.
- The Bolsonaros’ Liberal Party holds a record majority in Congress, and Brazilian law bars Lula from seeking re-election in 2030.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, won Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday with 51.7% of the vote to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.2%. The Workers’ Party leader becomes the first president in Brazil’s history to win after losing the first round of a presidential election.
How close was the result?
Lula won by about four million votes. His rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is a senator and the political heir to the far-right Bolsonaro clan. The result gives the PT leader a fourth term with a right-wing Congress; only Emperor Pedro II and Getúlio Vargas have governed Brazil for longer than Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday.
What did Lula say in his victory speech?
Speaking at a hotel in São Paulo, Lula thanked “the young people who took to the streets to defend democracy, and the elderly who went out to vote.” He said the result was “a defeat for denialism and lies” and “shows we are nobody’s backyard.” Lula added that his camp had “overcome interference from abroad, from the digital platforms,” referring to alleged favouritism by Instagram and WhatsApp toward his rival. Separately, US lawmakers have asked Meta to explain alleged bias in Brazil’s election.
What did Flávio Bolsonaro say?
Flávio Bolsonaro appeared in Brasília while Lula was still speaking and called for the election to be annulled. “It is impossible to recognize the result,” he said, after promising during the campaign to accept the outcome. His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted for attempting a coup, never formally acknowledged his 2022 defeat; a week after Lula took office, a pro-Bolsonaro mob carried out the most serious attack on Brazilian democracy since the end of the military dictatorship.
Why was voting extended?
A judge ordered polling extended by two hours minutes before the official close, after Lula petitioned the courts over problems with public transport and restrictions imposed in some cities. Polling stations finally closed at 7 p.m. Brasília time. “We will not allow theft, nor mayors without scruples,” Lula said. “These people have to learn to respect democracy.”
What challenges does Lula face?
Lula will govern a country split down the middle, including in places such as Osasco, where working-class voters turned from Lula to Bolsonaro. He will also face a Congress in which the Bolsonaros’ Liberal Party holds a record majority and can shape the Supreme Court through judicial appointments. Brazil is surrounded almost entirely by ideological adversaries, with progressive Uruguay the lone exception, while US President Donald Trump is pressing ahead with efforts to expand US influence across Latin America.
What happens after this term?
This was Lula’s final campaign: Brazilian law bars him from seeking re-election in 2030, and he would leave office at 85. The role of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, 73, a veteran of the centre-right and a conservative Catholic, takes on added significance.
What did voters say?
At her polling station in São Paulo, Fatima Aparecida da Silva, 69, wore a red shirt, the colour of Lula’s Workers’ Party. “If Flávio wins, repression will return. We already know what that looks like from the dictatorship,” she said, adding that Lula is not perfect but that “my children are who they are because of his public policies.”
Frequently asked questions
Who won Brazil’s presidential election?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, won with 51.7% of the vote against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.2%, a margin of about four million votes, according to results reported after the count.
Did Flávio Bolsonaro accept the result?
No. He appeared in Brasília while Lula was still speaking and said “It is impossible to recognize the result,” calling for the election to be annulled.
Why were voting hours extended in Brazil?
A judge ordered polling extended by two hours minutes before the official close, after Lula petitioned the courts over public transport problems and restrictions imposed in some cities. Stations closed at 7 p.m. Brasília time.
What will Lula face in his fourth term?
A Congress in which the Bolsonaros’ Liberal Party holds a record majority and can shape the Supreme Court through appointments, and a country split down the middle. He also cannot seek re-election in 2030 under Brazilian law.
With reporting from feeds.elpais.com.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
