Lula da Silva wins historic fourth term as Brazil president

Historic runoff victory

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court on Sunday declared Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the winner of the country's presidential runoff, handing the veteran leftist a historic fourth nonconsecutive term in office after he defeated Senator Flavio Bolsonaro by a margin of more than four million votes. The TSE announced that Lula secured 51.76 percent of valid votes against Bolsonaro's 48.24 percent once nearly all polling stations had reported, according to the official results.

Unprecedented political comeback

The result marks an unprecedented achievement in modern Brazilian political history, making Lula the first candidate since the two-round system's introduction in 1989 to win a runoff after placing second in the initial round. In the first round held on Oct. 4, Bolsonaro had finished ahead with 47.03 percent of valid votes compared with Lula's 45.16 percent, setting the stage for three weeks of intense campaigning across Latin America's largest country.

Regional voting patterns

The lead changed hands multiple times during the early stages of vote counting before Lula pulled ahead as returns arrived from urban centers and the heavily populated Northeast region. The outcome represents a significant setback for the Bolsonaro family, as the 45-year-old senator had sought to return his family to the presidency.

Term details

Flavio Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 before winning another term in 2022, will begin his fourth term on Jan. 5, 2027.