Brazil runoff: Lula wins a fourth term, beating Flávio Bolsonaro with 51.76%
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected president of Brazil. With 99.88% of polling stations counted, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) gives him 51.76% of valid votes, or 64,149,501, against 48.24% for Flávio Bolsonaro, who had led the first round.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won Brazil's presidential runoff and will serve a fourth term. With 99.88% of polling stations counted, official figures from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) give him 51.76% of valid votes, or 64,149,501, against 48.24%, or 59,778,349, for Flávio Bolsonaro.
That puts Lula about 4.37 million votes ahead. The electoral court said his lead could no longer be overtaken, the Associated Press reported. According to the TSE, 80.79% of registered voters cast a ballot; 1.12% of the votes were blank and 2.12% were spoiled.
The result is a comeback. Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, finished first in the opening round on 4 October. As The Guardian noted, no first-round runner-up had gone on to win a runoff since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985. Lula's campaign was helped by large student-led protests against the Bolsonaro camp after the first round.
Election day ended in confusion at many polling places after a Supreme Court justice decided at the last minute to extend voting by two hours, until 7pm Brasília time. AP reported that the decision could lead to legal challenges.
Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, is already the longest-serving president of Brazil's modern era: he governed from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in 2023. His running mate is again Geraldo Alckmin. Jair Bolsonaro, who backed his son's campaign, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022.