Lula Wins Fourth Term as Bolsonaro Files Legal Challenge

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday, securing a fourth non-consecutive term ahead of a scheduled inauguration on Jan. 5, 2027.

The election unfolded against a backdrop of shifting regional politics and a contentious vote-counting process. Lula, who will turn 81 next month, defeated Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of nearly 4 percentage points. The incumbent received more than 64 million votes, while Bolsonaro garnered just under 60 million.

Turnout dynamics drove the outcome. The second round attracted 14.1 million additional voters who had abstained or supported other candidates in the first round. Analysts estimate that three-quarters of this surge went to Lula. The first round had seen record abstention, while the second round recorded the lowest number of non-voters in history.

A last-minute decision by a Supreme Court justice to extend voting nationwide disrupted the usual rapid tally. Both candidates requested the extension, citing transportation issues in São Paulo and Salvador for Lula, and heavy rains in the south for Bolsonaro. The order came minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline, causing delays in polling station operations.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, announced on Sunday that he would seek to annul the election. His father, who is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, visited his son on Monday. Flávio Bolsonaro’s legal path to annulment remains unclear, particularly given that his father previously contested a loss to Lula in 2022 without success.

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the process on Monday, stating without providing evidence that the vote appeared rigged. “Elections have to be indisputable and it looked very bad to me,” Trump told reporters. He described the tabulation process as having a “very bad look.”

Despite the challenges, Brazilian institutions and regional leaders have recognized the result. Kassio Nunes, president of Brazil’s electoral authority, acknowledged Lula’s victory on Sunday. Brian Winter, a Brazil analyst at Americas Quarterly, noted that major power brokers are aligning behind Lula to avoid a contested election.

Lula’s campaign credited its victory to a digital strategy led by lawmaker André Janones. Janones managed a WhatsApp channel called “Lula's Army,” which gathered nearly 11 million users. The campaign also pressured Meta to end perceived algorithmic bias, a move supported by a ruling from Brazil’s electoral court on Oct. 15. Lula’s win marks the first time since 1989 that a candidate trailing in the first round won the runoff.