Lula claims fourth term with 51.79% of vote

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term in office with 51.79% of the vote, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of 4.4 million votes.

The Supreme Court President, Kassio Nunes Marques, confirmed the victory on Sunday evening. He stated that the two-hour extension of voting hours did not disrupt the counting process or the integrity of the election.

Polls were extended until 10:00 p.m. after both campaigns filed requests. Lula's team argued that a shortage of buses in São Paulo and Bahia prevented voters from reaching polling stations. Flávio Bolsonaro's camp cited heavy rain in southern Brazil and São Paulo as the cause for the delay. Some polling stations had already closed when the order was issued and remained shut.

Lula becomes the first Brazilian president since the return to civilian rule in 1985 to win an election after losing the first round. Flávio Bolsonaro won the initial vote on October 4 with 47% of the vote, ahead of Lula's 45%. The runoff saw a sharp increase in turnout, with the largest drop in abstention between rounds since 1989.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, refused to recognize the result immediately. He called for the election to be annulled, describing the outcome as "inexplicable" and "impossible." His father, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for a coup attempt, had prepared a victory speech but also called for the result to be overturned.

Legal experts suggest that annulling the election is unlikely. Fernando Neisser of the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo noted that the large margin of victory makes a legal challenge difficult. Alberto Rollo pointed out that presidential election dates are fixed by the constitution, adding a layer of complexity to any bid to void the process.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, addressed crowds in the streets of São Paulo after the result was confirmed. He declared that his fourth term would be the best in the country's history and the period in which he would listen most closely to the Brazilian people. Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin told him, "You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy."

The new term is set to begin on January 5, 2026. Lula has previously served two non-consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010, and his third term began in 2023. His win bucks a recent trend in Latin America where voters in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia have elected right-wing leaders.

Lula used his victory speech to address tensions with the United States. He referenced the "Donroe Doctrine" and insisted that Brazil would not accept being anyone's backyard. US President Donald Trump, who has shown support for Jair Bolsonaro, had not reacted to the result as of Sunday evening. Flávio Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House earlier this year to seek his backing.

International leaders have congratulated Lula on his win. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracy and multilateralism had won. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it a great victory and the start of a comeback for global progressivism. French President Emmanuel Macron stated the two nations should work in service of a more just world. Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Azin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also issued statements praising the result.