Lula won Brazil’s runoff Sunday with 51.8% of the vote. Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede and sought annulment.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth non-consecutive term in Sunday’s runoff, defeating right-wing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro refused to concede and asked for the election to be annulled.
With 100% of the vote counted, the electoral court announced that Lula, who turns 81 this week, had 51.8% of the vote and a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes, The Associated Press reported. Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had led the first round on Oct. 4 with 47% to Lula’s 45%. He led the runoff count for roughly the first half before the Northeast delivered for Lula in the second half, according to the Latin Times. It is the first time since Brazil’s military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the second-place finisher in the first round won the presidency. The result bucks a regional trend of victories for right-of-center candidates allied with President Donald Trump. Lula has been a vocal critic of Trump, and Brazil is likely to keep defying his demands despite increased U.S. tariffs.
Bolsonaro said he cannot recognize the result and called for the vote to be annulled. He cited what he called an unacceptable two-hour extension of voting granted by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, though both candidates had requested additional voting time, Al Jazeera reported. The extension followed an evening of confusion at some polling places. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula, according to France 24.
Lula faced a difficult reelection because of voter concerns about the cost of living and security. A video published by his campaign showed him celebrating with his wife, Rosângela “Janja” da Silva, and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin after the court confirmed his victory.
Leaders around the world reacted to the result. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the people of Brazil won, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he wanted to strengthen ties. Chile’s right-wing President José Antonio Kast congratulated Lula by phone. Donald Trump Jr. criticized the result, citing the voting extension. Sen. Bernie Sanders praised the victory, and Rep. Ro Khanna said Trump must respect the results and not undermine Brazil’s elections.
Information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, CBS News, France 24, Al Jazeera and the Latin Times.