Lula Defeats Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil Runoff After Polling Chaos

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidential election on Sunday with 51.8 percent of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of nearly 4.4 million ballots. The electoral court confirmed the result after a chaotic voting day that included a last-minute extension of polls by two hours. Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, will serve a non-consecutive fourth term beginning January 5, 2027.

The victory keeps Brazil, Latin America's largest economy with a gross domestic product of 2.6 trillion U.S. dollars, aligned with left-of-centre leadership. This outcome runs counter to a regional trend where candidates allied with U.S. President Donald Trump have been winning office. Lula has been a vocal critic of Trump, and his re-election suggests the region's biggest economy will maintain independence from Washington despite increased tariffs.

The final tally came after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled three minutes before the scheduled end of voting to keep polls open for two more hours. Both candidates had requested the extension. Lula cited transportation issues with buses in São Paulo and Salvador, while Bolsonaro pointed to heavy rains in the south. The decision delayed the counting process and created confusion at polling stations across the country.

In Rio de Janeiro, some voting machines had already been switched off and could not be restarted. In Brasilia, volunteers debated whether to stay for the extension, with most leaving 15 to 20 minutes after the original closing time. It remains unclear how many stations stayed open beyond the scheduled end time. Bolsonaro’s ally Nikolas Ferreira noted that Zanin, who made the ruling, had previously served as Lula’s lawyer.

Lula addressed supporters after the court’s announcement, calling the win a defeat for denialism and lies. He pledged to respect all Brazilians regardless of gender or religion. He also asserted Brazil’s sovereignty, stating that the country would not accept being anyone’s backyard. His wife, Rosângela Lula da Silva, was present at the celebration in São Paulo, where he wore star-shaped red glasses.

Flávio Bolsonaro said he wants the election annulled due to the two-hour extension. He had led in the first round earlier this month by more than 2.2 million votes. Sunday’s result marks the first time since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985 that the second-highest vote-getter in the first round won the presidency. Bolsonaro campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform and promised to lower food costs, while Lula focused on attracting undecided voters through government incentives.

Lula’s path to the presidency has been marked by legal battles. He spent 580 days in prison on corruption convictions that were later annulled by the Supreme Court. He defeated his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, in 2022. This current term is likely to be his last, as he began his political career in the 1970s as a union leader and helped found the Workers Party. He joins Donald Trump and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega as the oldest presidents in the Americas, all of whom are 80 years old.