Brazilian President Lula da Silva secured a historic fourth term on Tuesday after defeating Flavio Bolsonaro in a closely contested runoff election.
The Superior Electoral Court reported that Lula took 51.76 percent of the valid votes once nearly all polling stations were tallied. His challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro, finished the race with 48.24 percent. Lula won the contest by a margin of more than 4 million votes.
The outcome marks a milestone in modern Brazilian political history. Lula became the first candidate to win a presidential runoff after finishing second in the initial round since the two-round system was introduced in 1989.
In the first round of voting on October 4, Flavio Bolsonaro finished ahead with 47.03 percent of valid votes, while Lula trailed with 45.16 percent. That result set the stage for three weeks of intense campaigning across Latin America’s largest country.
The runoff outcome is a major setback for the Bolsonaro family. Flavio, a 45-year-old senator and the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had sought to return his family to the presidency.
The lead shifted multiple times during the early stages of the vote counting on Tuesday night. Lula eventually pulled ahead as election officials tallied more ballots, including key returns from urban centres and the heavily populated Northeast.
Lula previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 before winning another term in 2022. He is scheduled to begin his fourth presidential term on January 5, 2027.
