Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected president of Brazil, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election on Sunday (October 25), in a race that turned into a historic political upset. According to the country’s electoral authority, the 80-year-old president secured his fourth, non-consecutive term, as, based on the nearly final results from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, he garnered 51.76% of the valid votes, compared to his opponent’s 48.24%—a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes. This is the first time since the restoration of democracy in Brazil that a candidate has managed to overcome a first-round defeat and win the presidency.
Lula’s reelection is particularly significant, as the Workers’ Party (PT) had been defeated in the first round on October 4 by the 45-year-old senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who had garnered approximately 2.2 million more votes. However, in the second round, Lula turned the tables, mobilizing voters who had stayed away from the polls and strengthening the rallying around his candidacy.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The vote count initially turned into a nail-biter, with Flávio Bolsonaro holding a narrow lead in the early results. Lula took the lead when approximately 48% of the votes had been tallied, and he then steadily widened his lead, capitalizing on the Workers’ Party’s strong electoral base in the northern and northeastern regions of the country. His victory keeps the center-left in power in Latin America’s largest economy, at a time when right-wing political forces are gaining strength across the broader region.
In the previous election, candidates from the Bolsonaro family had been leading during the first half of the vote count, as votes from regions with a strong right-wing presence were tallied earlier. Subsequently, Lula narrowed the gap thanks to the inclusion of results from the northeastern states, which are traditionally his electoral strongholds.
This time, however, the turmoil caused by the extension of voting hours and the temporary suspension of the vote count may have disrupted the usual sequence in which results are released.
“I never expected to find myself facing a true representative of the militias.”
The re-elected president was particularly sharp when he referred to Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Zaih Bolsonaro.
“I’ve faced off against many people; I’ve participated in many elections. I have discussed the world’s most important issues. But I never thought I would find myself facing a genuine representative of the militias in this country,” he said.
Presidente Lula fala após ser reeleito presidente do Brasil https://t.co/hbCHLkhz8x
— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 26, 2026
Continuing his attack, he added: “I never imagined that a person could tell so many lies, with such brazenness, as if there were not a single cell of humanity within him.”
The leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) placed particular emphasis on youth participation, stressing that “Brazil’s young people took to the streets to defend democracy.”
Despite his strong rhetoric against his political opponent, Lula promised that in his new term he would govern “for everyone,” giving special priority to social welfare policies.
Bolsonaro calls for the election to be annulled: “It is impossible to recognize the result”
“It is impossible to recognize the election results,” said the Liberal Party (PL) candidate, speaking in Brasília after the announcement of Lula’s reelection.
Bolsonaro argued that “many things remain to be clarified” regarding the events of election day, placing particular emphasis on the decision that allowed certain polling stations to remain open for two additional hours.
— PORTAL INSIDER (@Portal_Insider) October 26, 2026
SKIPNHO REAGE A FLÁVIO BOLSONARO REVELANDO QUE VAI PEDIR A ANULAÇÃO DO 2º TURNO DA ELEIÇÃO PRESIDENCIAL! "É impossível reconhecer o resultado das eleições diante do contexto em que as coisas aconteceram, nós vamos usar nosso jurídico e pedir a anulação das eleições." https://t.co/5oFx2Q8LLZ
The defeated candidate described the Supreme Federal Court’s decision as unprecedented and unacceptable.
“What happened today was not normal. It was unacceptable,” he said, accusing Judge Cristiano Zanini of interfering in the electoral process shortly before the scheduled closing of the polling stations.
“He changed the rules of the game in the middle of the match,” he remarked.
Flavio Bolsonaro also pointed out that Zanin had served as Lula’s personal attorney before being appointed to the Supreme Court. The judge had been assigned the case through the standard random assignment process.
The conservative politician spoke of a “flagrant violation” of the electoral process, arguing that nothing like this had ever happened in Brazil’s history.
“This has never happened in the history of Brazil. This is a violation of autonomy,” he emphasized.
Source: Proto Thema
