Lula Wins Brazil Runoff With 64 Million Votes

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidential runoff on Sunday with more than 64 million votes.

The Superior Electoral Court declared the incumbent the winner shortly after 9 p.m. Brasilia time. Counting was still under way when the court made the announcement. Lula held more than 51 percent of the vote. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro received over 59 million votes, or 48 percent. The difference between the two candidates exceeded 4 million ballots.

This result marks a first in modern Brazilian history. Lula is the first politician to win a runoff after losing the opening round. He trails Bolsonaro in the initial vote on October 4, where Bolsonaro received 47 percent and Lula received 45 percent. Lula will take office on January 5, 2027. At age 80, he will surpass his own record as the oldest president sworn in since Brazil returned to democracy.

Lula spoke from a podium decorated with flags, thanking voters for defending democracy. He acknowledged the difficulties of working with the legislature. "I do not choose the Congress," he said. "It was the people who chose it, and it is with them that I will vote, work and get things approved." His next term faces a Congress with the most right-wing composition in recent memory.

Bolsonaro refused to concede the loss. He stated he would seek to annul the outcome. The challenge targets a Supreme Court decision that extended voting hours by two. Polling stations remained open until 7 p.m. Brasilia time. Bolsonaro accused the court of changing rules during the election. He said he could not accept the result.

The extension followed reports of voter suppression and heavy rainfall in the south. Public transport suspensions in some areas prompted Lula allies to accuse Bolsonaro supporters of limiting bus services. Lula focused his campaign on living costs. He promoted a constitutional amendment to shorten the workweek and raised the prospect of free weekend public transport. He also banned online gambling and sports betting apps in September.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum congratulated Lula on the victory. US Senator Bernie Sanders called the re-election extraordinary. The win interrupts a series of presidential gains by the regional right. The Trump administration had supported the Bolsonaro family and imposed 50 percent tariffs on certain Brazilian products last year. Donald Trump Jr. criticized the voting extension on social media. US Representative Ro Khanna urged the president to respect the outcome. Lula has characterized Washington's pressure as an attack on Brazil's judicial sovereignty.