Lula wins Brazil runoff after historic comeback against Flávio Bolsonaro

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defeated right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential runoff, according to the country’s electoral authorities, completing an unprecedented comeback since the restoration of democracy. France 24 reported that the official count gave Lula 51.76% of the vote and Bolsonaro 48.24%. Lula had received 45.16% in the first round on 4 October, while Bolsonaro led with 47%, making the result the first since Brazil returned to democracy in which the first-round runner-up went on to win the runoff.

The contest remained extremely close during the count. France 24 reported that the gap stayed below one percentage point for much of the process, while DW described the final result as tight. Brazil’s electronic voting system allowed authorities to determine the outcome within hours, although the Supreme Court’s intervention delayed the timetable.

Voting was extended by two hours, until 7 p.m. local time, after Lula’s campaign complained that bus services had been restricted in São Paulo, preventing some voters from reaching polling stations. Lula said 40% of the city’s buses had been kept out of service; local media reports cited by DW said 75 buses had been blocked from leaving garages.

Bolsonaro’s team also cited difficult weather in some regions. The Supreme Court ordered the extension, and Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court said voting would continue only at locations where polling had not already concluded. The measure prompted both the Workers’ Party and the Liberal Party to urge supporters to keep voting.

Lula, a former labour leader, campaigned for a fourth non-consecutive term after governing from 2003 to 2010 and returning to office in 2023. Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, had promised a tougher security policy and action on living costs. His father is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup after losing the 2022 election, according to The Guardian.

The result overturned the geographic pattern seen in the first round, in which northern states generally supported Lula while southern states backed Bolsonaro. Lula also won overwhelmingly among Brazilians voting in Germany: DW reported that he received 79.09% of 20,923 ballots cast there, with support reaching 88.77% in Berlin. The president of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, Edson Fachin, called on both candidates to respect the result and urged calm.

DW noted that some observers had feared Bolsonaro might reject a Lula victory, as his father did after the 2022 election, raising concerns about possible unrest.