Lula leads by 4.3 million after comeback
The 80-year-old former president overcame a 2.2 million vote deficit to secure a fourth term as Brazil's leader.
By Anthony Hoffmann ·
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a fourth term as president of Brazil, finishing with 51.75% of the vote against 48.25% for Flávio Bolsonaro. With nearly 99% of ballots counted, Lula held a lead of 4.3 million votes. This result reverses a 2.2 million vote deficit he faced after the first round in early October.
The shift appears driven largely by turnout. Abstention in the first round hit a record 21.08%, a figure that disproportionately harmed Lula because his supporters often live farther from polling stations. In the runoff, abstention dropped to 19.21%. No candidate who finished second in the first round has ever won a Brazilian runoff since the country returned to democracy in the 1980s.
Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, spent three weeks in political limbo after the initial loss. His ally Reginaldo Lopes described the moment of confirmation as incredible. Lopes said Brazil was sending a message to the world about the extreme right and that the country would reorganize its democratic forces.
The result deals a blow to the Bolsonaro family. Jair Bolsonaro, the father of the losing candidate, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup. He had hoped for a role in government if his son won. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest in Brasília, where his son watched the count. The confirmation was met with anger and bewilderment among the family's supporters.
The outcome also disrupts plans for US President Donald Trump. Trump had hoped Brazil would join a lineup of pro-Trump leaders in Latin America, including Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia, Daniel Noboa in Ecuador, José Antonio Kast in Chile, and Javier Milei in Argentina.
Lula's campaign momentum built over the weekend. More than a million people gathered on Copacabana beach in Rio, while a larger crowd marched on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. Hundreds returned to Paulista Avenue on Sunday evening to watch the count, waving red flags with Lula's face.
Tensions rose in São Paulo after pro-Bolsonaro politicians allegedly tried to disrupt the vote by sabotaging public transport in areas that lean toward Lula. Lucas Lopes, 32, called the effort another coup attempt. The effort failed, and photographer Caio Marques noted that the left woke up for the second round.
Source: The Guardian
