Lula wins Brazil presidency by 4.4 million vote margin

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured his fourth term in office on Sunday, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of 4.4 million votes. Lula received 51.79% of the total vote, while Bolsonaro garnered 48.21%.

This victory marks a historic shift in Brazilian politics, as Lula becomes the first president since the return to civilian rule in 1985 to win an election after losing the first round of voting. On 4 October, Bolsonaro led the initial count with 47% of the vote against Lula’s 45%. Lula’s campaign focused heavily on increasing voter turnout, a strategy that resulted in the largest drop in abstention between first and second rounds of a presidential election since 1989.

The election process was complicated by an unprecedented two-hour extension of polling hours on Sunday evening. The Supreme Court granted the request just as polling stations were set to close. Lula’s team argued that a lack of buses prevented voters in São Paulo and Bahia from reaching the polls, while Bolsonaro’s campaign cited heavy rain in the south and São Paulo. Some polling stations that had already shut were unable to reopen, though Supreme Court President Kassio Nunes Marques stated that the extension did not cause issues for the count.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, has refused to recognize the result. He called for the election to be annulled, describing the outcome as inexplicable and impossible. However, electoral law experts indicated that annulment is unlikely. Fernando Neisser of the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo noted that the large margin of victory makes a legal challenge difficult, while Alberto Rollo pointed out that presidential election dates are constitutionally fixed, adding complexity to any bid to overturn the result.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, addressed celebratory crowds in São Paulo, declaring that his fourth term would be the best in the country’s history and the one in which he listens most to the Brazilian people. He emphasized that Brazil will not accept being anyone’s backyard, a direct response to US President Donald Trump’s recent support for Jair Bolsonaro and his stated Donroe Doctrine. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence following his conviction for a coup attempt after losing the 2022 election.

Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin told Lula that he had saved Brazilian democracy for the second time. The new term is set to begin on 5 January and will last until 2030. International leaders have begun sending congratulations, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stating that democracy and multilateralism had won, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez describing the result as the beginning of a global progressive comeback.