Lula wins fourth term after defeating Flávio Bolsonaro

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth presidential term in Brazil on Sunday after defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of voting. The former labor leader received 64.2 million votes, or 51.79 percent of the total. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, received 59.8 million votes, or 48.21 percent. The margin of victory was more than four million votes.

The result reversed the momentum from the first round held on October 4. In that earlier vote, Flávio Bolsonaro held a two-point lead over Lula. Polls during the subsequent campaign cycle showed a statistical tie and never predicted a final gap of nearly four points in Lula’s favor. The outcome exceeded the margin by which Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election.

Lula framed the contest as a choice between democratic governance and authoritarian rule. Jair Bolsonaro, the patriarch of the opposing family, is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting a coup after his 2022 loss. In a victory speech with a trembling voice, Lula thanked young voters for taking to the streets to defend democracy. He also credited older citizens for turning out to vote, a factor he said helped lower the high abstention rate from the first round.

Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat immediately after the results were announced. He stated he would request the annulment of the election in the courts. His campaign cited a judicial order that extended voting hours by two hours nationwide. This extension was announced one minute after the scheduled closing time by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, a former attorney for Lula.

The late announcement caused confusion at polling stations, with many closing at their original time. Kassio Nunes Marques, the president of the Superior Electoral Court, said the delay created technical and operational difficulties. The Workers’ Party, Lula’s party, argued that right-leaning cities failed to provide enough free bus services for voters, a requirement imposed by the court. They claimed this omission disproportionately affected poorer voters who typically support the left.

Flávio Bolsonaro called the situation unacceptable and a violation of equal rights. He told reporters in Brasília that the rules of the game were changed by Lula’s allies on the Supreme Court. Hugo Motta and Davi Alcolumbre, the presidents of the lower and upper chambers of Congress respectively, both recognized Lula’s victory. Motta and Alcolumbre are political allies of the winning candidate.

Celebrations erupted in cities across Brazil. The largest gathering took place in São Paulo, where tens of thousands of people assembled on Avenida Paulista. Lula joined the crowd, which chanted that a dictatorship would never happen again. The scale of the event was larger than the celebrations following his 2022 victory. At 81 years old, Lula had adopted mobile phones and social media platforms for the first time to reach voters during the campaign.