Lula Wins Record Fourth Term in Brazil, Defeating Flavio Bolsonaro

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has secured a record fourth term as Brazil’s president. The 80-year-old leftist defeated Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s runoff. This victory marks the first time in nearly four decades that a Brazilian candidate has come from behind to win the presidency.

Electoral authorities declared Lula the winner with more than 51 percent of the vote. Bolsonaro received 48 percent. The count reached 98.76 percent when the result was finalized. Polls in the final days showed the two men nearly tied, keeping the outcome uncertain until the late hours of the evening.

Lula’s victory reverses a deficit from the first round held three weeks earlier. On October 4, Bolsonaro led with 47.03 percent of the vote against Lula’s 45.16 percent. That gap amounted to 2.2 million votes. Lula campaigned hard to bring back absent voters, focusing on the cost of living and his social programs. He gained momentum in the northeast, a historic base for his Workers' Party.

The vote extension caused immediate friction. Voting was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. local time, but Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered stations to remain open until 7 p.m. Both campaigns had requested more time. Lula’s team argued that local officials cut public transport to hinder lower-income voters. Bolsonaro’s camp cited heavy rain and flooding as the primary reason for the delay.

Bolsonaro has vowed to annul the vote and accused Justice Zanin of judicial misconduct. He noted that Lula appointed Zanin to the Supreme Court in 2023 while he served as the president’s personal lawyer. “He changes the rules of the game mid-game,” Bolsonaro said. He told supporters that recognizing the results was impossible given the circumstances.

Official investigations are already underway. Brazil’s Federal Police are examining transport disruptions in five states. A court in Salvador ordered the arrest of the city’s transport secretary, alleging he directed cuts to bus services. The judicial system remains divided, with analysts suggesting extensive political negotiation will be required to resolve the disputes.

Turnout played a factor in the final tally. Andrei Roman of AtlasIntel noted a drop in abstention helped Lula. In the first round, an estimated 33.4 million Brazilians, or 21 percent of the electorate, did not vote. This was the highest abstention rate in a general election since 1998. Lula also promised free public transport on weekends to court his working-class base.