Lula da Silva was re-elected president of Brazil by defeating Flávio Bolsonaro

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has won the second round of Brazil's presidential election held on October 25, securing an unprecedented fourth term at 80 years old after defeating far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL).

The results and the milestone of the comeback

• Percentage and margin: With the final vote count from the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Lula obtained 51.79% of the valid votes compared to 48.21% for Flávio Bolsonaro, achieving a lead of more than 4 million votes.
• Runoff turnaround: After finishing in second place behind the Liberal Party candidate in the first round held three weeks earlier, Lula managed to reverse the disadvantage by mobilizing those who had abstained: between the first and second rounds he added more than 10 million additional votes, compared to the nearly 3.7 million added by his opponent.

Tension on election day and contestation

• Extension of voting hours: The day was marked by restrictions and public transportation problems in various cities, coupled with rain and floods in states such as São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina. In view of the demands presented, Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered, near the official closing time, a two-hour extension of voting hours throughout the national territory.
Rejection of the result: Flávio Bolsonaro refused to acknowledge Lula's victory and announced from Brasilia that he will take legal action to request the annulment of the elections. The senator argued that "the rules of the game were changed midway through the day" and questioned the impartiality of Zanin, who was Lula's defense attorney before being nominated to the STF.

Keys to the victory and challenges of the new mandate

The incumbent comeback relied on strong social media activation, the backing of young voters, and a series of high-impact measures aimed especially at women, who constituted the sector with the largest number of undecided voters.

In his celebration speech in São Paulo alongside his wife, Janja da Silva, and re-elected Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Lula described the triumph as "a defeat of falsehood and denialism" and launched a message of sovereignty in the face of Donald Trump's backing of the Bolsonaro campaign, asserting that Brazil "does not accept being anyone's backyard." Looking ahead to his final term—which will begin on January 5 and in which he will not be eligible for re-election in 2030—Lula will face the challenge of governing a deeply polarized country with a Congress where the Liberal Party holds a record majority.