Lula Wins Fourth Term in Brazil as Flávio Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won re-election in the run-off held Sunday, according to the country's electoral court. The result is a setback for those hoping to see Washington's influence grow across Latin America, and Lula has been a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump.

With every vote counted, the court said Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, took 51.8 per cent of the ballots and finished nearly 4.4 million votes ahead of Flávio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula beat in the 2022 race.

Flávio Bolsonaro quickly declined to accept defeat and called for the results to be annulled. His objection followed an evening of disorder at some polling places, triggered by a last-minute decision to keep voting open for two extra hours.

Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin issued that ruling three minutes before polls were scheduled to close, responding to requests from both campaigns. Lula's team cited problems with buses carrying voters to polling stations in São Paulo and Salvador, two cities that tend to favour the incumbent. Bolsonaro's team pointed to heavy rain in southern Brazil, where he is favoured. It was unclear how many stations stayed open late, and Associated Press reporters saw polling places in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro close shortly after the original 5 p.m. local deadline.

Bolsonaro noted that Zanin once served as Lula's lawyer and accused him of "changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game." He added: "It's impossible to recognize the results of the election in the context of these things that happened." It is not clear whether his complaint could meet the legal threshold for annulment. He may request a recount if he has evidence of fraud, though that might not alter the outcome.

Speaking to thousands of supporters gathered in São Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro's Cinelândia Square, Lula thanked voters and promised to respect all Brazilians regardless of gender or religion. "This was a defeat for denialism and lies," he said. He also stressed national independence: "This country will not accept being anyone's backyard." In Rio, car horns sounded and a roar went up in the streets as the result was confirmed. Rodrigo Valentim, a 51-year-old businessman backing Bolsonaro, said another Lula government would hurt the economy and that "the country is collapsing."

The win cuts against a regional pattern of right-of-centre, Trump-aligned candidates taking presidencies. It also suggests that Latin America's largest economy, with annual GDP of $2.6 trillion US, will keep resisting Trump's demands despite higher tariffs.

Lula had a difficult path. Bolsonaro finished more than 2.2 million votes ahead in the first round earlier this month, and Sunday's outcome was the first time since the military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the runner-up in round one went on to win the presidency. Voters were focused on the cost of living and security. Bolsonaro campaigned on being tough on crime and lowering food prices, while Lula spent on costly incentives to win over undecided voters. Both men have faced corruption suspicions involving relatives and allies.

After the first round, Lula reorganized his campaign, courted young voters, mobilized millions of people to defend democratic values and his legacy, warned of another Bolsonaro administration and expanded several government initiatives. He is due to start his fourth non-consecutive term on Jan. 5, 2027, and is expected to be in his final campaign. He, Trump and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, all aged 80, are the oldest presidents in the Americas.