Lula Wins Brazil Runoff, Securing a Historic Fourth Term

Brazil's electoral authority declared Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the winner of Sunday's presidential runoff, giving the 80-year-old a fourth term as president. He defeated Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

With 96.83% of polling sections processed, the Superior Electoral Court's figures put Lula at 51.74% of valid votes, against 48.26% for Bolsonaro. The count was still proceeding when the result was declared, but the margin was beyond what the remaining sections could change.

The result reverses the first round. On Oct. 4, Bolsonaro finished first with 47.03% of valid votes, against 45.16% for Lula, a gap of about 2.2 million votes. Neither reached the majority needed to win outright, so the two met again on Sunday.

Lula is the first Brazilian president elected to the office four times. He served two terms from 2003 to 2010, returned to office in 2023, and will now stay in the presidency for a new term.

A turbulent election day

Voting was extended by two hours on Sunday after both campaigns raised problems getting voters to polling stations. The Lula campaign cited bus transport problems in several states. The Bolsonaro campaign cited heavy rain that made polling stations hard to reach.

Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered stations that had not already closed to stay open until 7 p.m. Brasília time. The order came as polls were scheduled to close, and some stations had already shut. The Bolsonaro campaign's director called the decision shameful and untimely. The court later clarified that only stations that had not closed should remain open.

What the campaigns argued

Crime and the cost of living dominated the campaign. Bolsonaro promised to designate major criminal factions as terrorist groups, expand prisons, and lower the age of criminal responsibility. Lula, who faced criticism that his party was soft on crime, signaled support for lowering that age from 18 to 16 for certain serious crimes.

On the economy, Lula pointed to low unemployment and easing inflation. Voters told pollsters they still felt little progress on everyday prices. Bolsonaro argued that a change of government was needed, and accused Lula of corruption. Lula pressed Bolsonaro over his ties to Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of the collapsed Banco Master, and over his father's record. Lula's own past corruption convictions were annulled in 2021.

The United States was also part of the campaign. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was monitoring the runoff. He had praised Flávio Bolsonaro's first-round performance but stopped short of a formal endorsement. Lula has presented his resistance to Trump's tariff measures as a defense of Brazil's sovereignty, while Bolsonaro argued for closer ties with Washington.

The next president will face a more conservative Congress. Lawmakers elected alongside the presidential race gave Bolsonaro's Liberal Party the largest bloc in the lower house. Lula's government will need their votes to pass its program.

No concession from Bolsonaro had been reported at the time of the declaration. The electoral authority's result stands regardless: Lula won the runoff, and he will serve a fourth term.