Lula Wins Fourth Term as Brazil's President in Tight Runoff

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a new term, according to official results from Sunday's runoff. With more than 96% of ballots counted, Lula had taken over 51% of the vote, against more than 48% for Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro.

The victory defeats a right-wing political dynasty that had promised closer ties with President Trump. It also extends a career in which Lula has already served three nonconsecutive terms as president. The result was described as a stunning comeback.

Voting day was marked by confusion. Around midday, Lula's campaign asked for longer voting hours, arguing that some local governments had cut bus service and made it harder for people to reach polling places. Bolsonaro's side also asked for more time, pointing to heavy rain in some states.

Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ultimately ordered voting extended by two hours past the usual 5 p.m. closing time. In some places, however, the order arrived after officials had already switched off their electronic voting machines, so voting could not resume.

One of those affected was Manuela Tunas, a 36-year-old accountant who reached a Rio de Janeiro polling station shortly after 6 p.m. after her flight into the city was delayed. She could not vote. "This is absurd," she said. "If some people can vote, and others can't, it's unfair."

The race drew international attention because of what it could mean for a growing right-wing movement in Latin America, for the future of the Amazon rainforest and for Brazil's democracy, which is roughly 40 years old.

Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The elder Bolsonaro narrowly lost to Lula in 2022 and is now serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to overturn that result. His son had pledged to pardon him.

Because the contest pitted two long-established political camps against each other, Brazilians showed little appetite for street campaigning in the early months. That changed after Bolsonaro finished first in the Oct. 4 opening round. In recent days, supporters of both candidates have packed rallies and flooded social media.

In the end, Lula's message of continuity and his emphasis on social spending won out. Alessandra Miguel, a 35-year-old spa worker who voted for Lula in Rocinha, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, said, "I think people woke up about the risk of a Bolsonaro government after the first round, and the mobilization made a difference."

Lula now faces the task of governing a deeply divided country. Jairo Nicolau, a Brazilian political scientist who studies presidential elections, said one of the most striking features of this year's race was how rigid voters' loyalties were. Unlike in past years, he said, "people's identity of belonging to a tribe became more important than how they view different policy options."