Brazil's Lula wins historic fourth term as Bolsonaro refuses to concede
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USABrazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a historic fourth term Sunday, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff that defied polls and precedent — but his rival refused to accept the result and vowed to ask courts to annul the election.
With 100% of the vote counted, Brazil's electoral court said Lula took 51.8% of the vote to Bolsonaro's 48.2%, a margin of nearly 4.4 million votes. It is the first time since the return of direct presidential elections in 1989 that a candidate has won a runoff after finishing second in the first round; Bolsonaro had led the first round on October 4.
"It is impossible to recognize the election result given how these events unfolded," Bolsonaro told supporters in Brasília after Lula's victory was declared. "We will take legal action. We will ask for this election to be annulled." His challenge centers on a last-minute Supreme Court ruling that extended voting by two hours at some polling stations amid bad weather and transport problems.
Lula, 80, thanked Brazilians for their "generosity," especially young voters who he said "took to the streets to defend democracy." In a swipe at the United States, he added: "Either the homeland remains free, or we die for Brazil. This country will not accept being anyone's backyard." He will be 85 by the end of his new term in 2030.
The result bucks a regional wave of right-wing victories and is a major setback for the Bolsonaro political movement: Flávio Bolsonaro failed where his father, imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, also failed in 2022 — defeating Lula at the ballot box. Jair Bolsonaro never accepted his 2022 loss and was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup to remain in power.
Analysts said an annulment looks unlikely given the scale of Lula's win — more than twice his father's losing margin in 2022 — though right-wing protests could follow in the coming days. Markets reacted sharply: a Tokyo-listed fund tracking Brazil's Bovespa index dived nearly 15% in Asia trade on news of the victory, and the Brazilian real was set to fall.
Lula now faces a Congress dominated by the right, and a campaign fought over the cost of living, crime and corruption. Congratulations poured in from across the region, including from Chile's President José Antonio Kast, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, who wrote: "Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won."
Sources: CNN (Oct 25, 2026); Reuters (Oct 25, 2026); Associated Press (Oct 25, 2026); Sky News (Oct 26, 2026).
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