Lula Secures Fourth Term, Defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazilian Runoff
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Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential runoff with 51.75% of the vote, beating far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro who received 48.25%. The result marks a historic comeback after losing the first round.
Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was declared the winner of Brazil's presidential runoff on Sunday, securing 51.75% of the vote against 48.25% for far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. The tally, based on nearly 99% of votes counted, gave Lula a margin of roughly 4.3 million votes, reversing a first-round defeat by 2.2 million votes three weeks earlier.
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, attributed the turnaround to higher voter turnout, noting a drop in abstention from 21.08% in the first round to 19.21% in the runoff. Supporters gathered in large numbers in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with crowds reported on Copacabana beach and Paulista Avenue.
"I feel incredible … This is Brazil telling the world that the extreme right is fascist, that the extreme right is against black people, is against the poor, against the state, against gay people ... We are going to reorganize the democratic forces [in this country]," said Reginaldo Lopes, a senior Lula ally, as the result was confirmed.
The victory ends a period of uncertainty for Lula's coalition and is viewed as a setback for Flávio Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest in Brasília, and for U.S. President Donald Trump, who had expressed support for Bolsonaro's candidacy.
Lula's political career began as a union leader in São Paulo in the late 1970s, leading to three unsuccessful presidential bids before his first election in 2002. After serving two consecutive terms, he returned to office in 2022 by defeating Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who was later jailed for an alleged coup plot.
Observers noted that the runoff result was accompanied by accusations of attempts to disrupt voting in areas favorable to Lula, but officials reported that the election proceeded without major incident.