Brazil Vote: Lula Claims Fourth Term in Runoff Upset

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term as president of Brazil on Sunday.

With 99% of ballots counted, Lula secured 51.75% of the vote against 48.25% for his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro. The 45-year-old challenger finished behind the 80-year-old incumbent by 4.3 million votes. This marked a reversal from the first round in early October, where Lula trailed by 2.2 million votes.

Turnout shifts drove the result. Abstention rates dropped from a record 21.08% in the first round to 19.21% in the runoff. Lula’s allies attributed the change to higher participation among voters who live farther from polling stations. No candidate who finished second in the first round has won a runoff since Brazil returned to democracy in the 1980s.

Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, watched the count from house arrest in Brasília. His father had hoped to secure a government role if his son won. The result also disrupted plans for US President Donald Trump, who sought to align Brazil with other right-wing leaders in the region. Trump had supported leaders in Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina.

Supporters gathered in large numbers on the weekend. Over a million people filled Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. A larger crowd marched on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo the same day. Hundreds returned to the avenue on Sunday evening to watch the final tally. Camilo Buarque, 35, waved a red flag with Lula’s face and called the event a display of democracy.

Reginaldo Lopes, a key ally of the president, described the outcome as Brazil sending a message about the extreme right. He said the country would now reorganize its democratic forces. Critics in São Paulo pointed to an apparent effort by pro-Bolsonaro politicians to disrupt the vote via public transport sabotage. Caio Marques, a 40-year-old photographer, noted that the left failed in the first round but woke up for the second.