Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected as Brazil's president, securing a fourth term after a close race against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. In the second round, Lula received 51.79% of the vote, compared to 48.21% for his conservative opponent. In total, the incumbent president secured some 64.25 million votes, while Bolsonaro received 59.82 million, a margin of more than 4.4 million votes.
The result overturned the lead of the first round, where Flavio Bolsonaro had come out on top and had raised expectations of a right-wing return to power. However, the race does not seem to be over with the announcement of the result. Bolsonaro has refused to acknowledge defeat and has warned that he will seek the annulment of the election, opening a new political and legal clash.
In his first reaction from São Paulo, Lula said the victory was thanks to the mobilization of citizens and the high turnout. He presented the result as a vote in defense of democratic institutions. Lula's re-election keeps Brazil under the leadership of the left, at a time when other important Latin American countries have moved towards conservative candidates.
The result also represents another political blow to former President Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio's father, who led Brazil from 2019 to 2022 and is currently serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup after losing the previous election.
