Brasília, 25 October. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential run-off, winning 51.7% of the vote to 48.2%, according to official figures from the Superior Electoral Court, and secured a fourth, non-consecutive term.
Lula became the first candidate in Brazil's history to win an election after losing the first round. On 4 October Bolsonaro had led him by 47.03% to 45.16%, a gap of about 2.2 million votes. In the run-off Lula finished about 4.3 million votes ahead, according to the final count. The last Datafolha poll before the vote gave Bolsonaro 51% to Lula's 49%.
Voting was complicated: at the last minute the Supreme Court extended it by two hours, and counting started later. The lead changed several times during the count: with 20% of ballots processed Bolsonaro was ahead, at 70% Lula was. The president's supporters gathered on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo even before the result was announced.
Lula, who is nearly 81 and a former metalworker and trade union leader, called this election his final battle and told voters that Brazil's sovereignty was at stake in the face of pressure from US President Donald Trump. The new term begins on 5 January 2027. Flávio Bolsonaro, 44, is the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who in September 2025 was convicted and imprisoned for plotting a coup and so could not run himself.
What it means: Latin America's largest country has kept its left-wing president, defying the polls and a wave of victories for right-wing candidates in the region. The margin is small, about 3.5 percentage points.
Who benefits: Lula and the Workers' Party gain four more years in power. Bolsonaro's right-wing camp and Trump's allies in Latin America lose.
Background: Lula was president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to power in 2023, beating Jair Bolsonaro by 1.8 points, at the time the narrowest margin since the country's return to democracy. Brazil is a member of BRICS together with Russia, China, India and South Africa.
We have also reported that Brazil was choosing a president with Flávio Bolsonaro slightly ahead of Lula.
