- Incumbent secures 51.79 percent of the vote as defeated challenger rejects result and seeks annulment
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won re-election, defeating right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential runoff, according to official results, while the defeated candidate has rejected the outcome and called for the election to be annulled.
Lula secured 51.79 percent of valid votes, compared with 48.21 percent for Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court. The victory gives Lula a fourth presidential term overall and marks a turnaround after Bolsonaro finished ahead of him in the first round.
Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat, arguing that a two-hour extension of voting time had undermined the fairness of the election. He criticised a decision by Supreme Court judge Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours nationwide and said he would pursue legal action to challenge the result.
Lula’s campaign had sought the extension, citing difficulties in transporting voters to polling stations in several states. Bolsonaro’s campaign had also requested additional voting time, but only in municipalities across five states, pointing to heavy rain, flooding and power outages.
In his victory speech in São Paulo, Lula said Brazilians had voted to defend democracy and pledged to protect the country’s sovereignty. He thanked supporters, particularly young people who had campaigned for him, and described the result as a rejection of negativity and lies.
Lula also renewed his call for greater regulation of major technology platforms following allegations of interference during the polarising campaign, including complaints involving Meta. He declared that Brazil would not accept being “anyone’s backyard”, reinforcing his campaign message of national independence amid strained relations with Washington.
Relations between Brazil and the United States deteriorated in 2025 after Washington imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods in retaliation for legal proceedings against former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was later convicted of involvement in a coup plot, according to the report.
Several Latin American leaders congratulated Lula on his victory, including the presidents of Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Panama and Bolivia. Cuba’s president also welcomed the result, describing it as a victory for peace, sovereignty and social justice.
The election has left Brazil facing a deeply divided political landscape, with the result highlighting the narrow gap between the incumbent’s supporters and those backing Bolsonaro. Lula is scheduled to begin his new term on January 5, 2027, while the challenge to the election result remains a matter for the relevant authorities.