Lula Wins Record Fourth Term in Brazil Presidential Elections
Lula's victory marks a setback for the Bolsonaro family's hopes of returning to the presidency following the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro over an attempted coup
Left leader, 80-year-old former factory worker and current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won re-election on Sunday, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in a heated runoff after the two candidates were closely matched in the first round of voting.
According to Brazilian media and projections by Datafolha, with 99.77 per cent of the votes counted, the incumbent president secured 51.76 per cent of the valid votes in the second round, compared to 48.24 per cent for Bolsonaro.
The victory allows the Workers' Party leader to extend his record as one of Brazil's longest-serving presidents, behind Getúlio Vargas. By the end of his latest term, Lula will have spent 16 years in power, marking a record in Brazil's democratic history.
The victory follows a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living, crime and corruption. CNN reported that this was also the first time since the return of direct presidential elections in 1989 that a candidate had won the presidency after finishing second in the first round.
Lula, who first governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, faced a challenging re-election battle amid concerns over living costs and public security. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to reduce food prices.
Both presidential candidates faced corruption allegations involving family members and associates. Lula had spent more than a year in prison following corruption convictions that were eventually annulled.
The results of Sunday's runoff came after a heated election day, with voting extended by two hours following last-minute appeals from both candidates to electoral authorities.
According to CNN, Lula's victory is expected to have implications beyond Brazil, keeping Latin America's largest country on a more independent foreign-policy path. Lula has emphasised Brazil's sovereignty and closer ties with the Global South and China amid tensions with the Trump administration.
Lula began his political career in the 1970s as a union leader. He later helped found the Workers' Party, which he represented as a presidential candidate three times before winning the election in 2002.
He was re-elected in 2006 and was succeeded by his cabinet minister Dilma Rousseff in 2010. Rousseff won re-election in 2014.
