Lula Takes 51.78 Percent of Vote to Win Fourth Presidency

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court confirmed the outcome of the presidential runoff late on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro to secure a fourth term in office. Tallying figures from the election show Lula received 51.78 percent of valid votes, while Bolsonaro captured 48.22 percent. The victory marks a non-consecutive return to the presidency for the incumbent.

Heavy rain and technical issues disrupted voting across the country on election day. Polling stations were originally scheduled to close at 7 p.m. local time, but they remained open for two additional hours due to transport disruptions. The Supreme Court approved the extension after both campaigns requested it.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro announced he would contest the result immediately following the announcement. He stated he would deploy his legal team to seek an annulment of the elections. "We will engage our legal team and seek to have these elections annulled," Bolsonaro said. He criticized the Federal Supreme Court for changing the rules of the game. "I will not accept that the rules of the game have been arbitrarily changed, once again, by Lula's friends on the Federal Supreme Court," he added. Reports indicate both sides asked for the extra voting time, citing the downpours that prevented some voters from reaching their stations.

Lula’s victory creates a new precedent in modern Brazilian political history. He is the first presidential candidate to lose the first round of voting and then win the runoff. The result also runs counter to a regional trend of conservative governments taking power in other Latin American nations.

The new term is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2027. In a speech to supporters, Lula pledged to serve with dedication and focus on national sovereignty. "In this election, we defeated the interference that was coming from the outside in," he said. "Brazil is no one's back yard." He also promised to "deliver the best term any president has ever served." Congratulations arrived from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.