Lula wins historic fourth term in Brazil, defeating Bolsonaro’s son

Lula overcame a first-round defeat after three weeks of nationwide rallies and voter mobilization, securing an unprecedented fourth presidential term.RIO DE JANEIRO (CN) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term Sunday, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a historic comeback following a wave of voter mobilization in the final weeks of the campaign.Lula received 51.76% of valid votes, compared with Bolsonaro’s 48.24%, with 99.82% of polling stations reporting, according to the Superior Electoral Court.At 80, Lula became the first presidential candidate since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 to win a runoff after finishing second in the first round. He will also be the first president elected to four terms by popular vote during that period.Supporters chanted, “Lula, guerreiro, do povo brasileiro,” or “Lula, a fighter for the Brazilian people,” in a video shared on social media shortly before the election result was confirmed.The result marks a reversal from the Oct. 4 first round, when Bolsonaro received 47.03% of valid votes, compared with Lula’s 45.16%.In the three weeks between rounds, thousands of Brazilians joined rallies and other efforts to reelect Lula, seeking to win over undecided voters and reduce the 21% abstention rate recorded in the first round.The contest also intensified on social media, where Lula’s campaign accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, of using its algorithms to favor Bolsonaro. Meta denied favoring either candidate.Bolsonaro, 45, ran with the backing of his father, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for his role in an attempted coup following his defeat to Lula in the 2022 presidential election.Following reports of public transportation shortages in several cities, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin authorized voting to continue for up to two additional hours, until 7 p.m. In Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia, an electoral court ordered the arrest of the city’s transportation secretary over a shortage of buses. Zanin’s ruling also delayed the vote count.Lula will begin his fourth term Jan. 5, 2027, facing a Congress with a strong conservative presence after legislative elections expanded the right’s representation in the Senate.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads