Lula Wins Fourth Term After Brazil’s Tight Runoff

With 51.7% of the vote, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva turned a first-round loss into a fourth presidential term, beating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who won 48.2%, according to official results. The outcome was a striking reversal: Bolsonaro led in the first round, and the runoff stayed close until nearly all votes were counted. Outside the São Paulo hotel where Lula watched the count, supporters celebrated. The vote was also marked by confusion over a last-minute extension to polling hours. ^1,8

The extension followed complaints from both campaigns. Lula’s team said bus services had been disrupted, keeping some voters from polling stations; Bolsonaro’s side pointed to heavy rain in parts of the country. A Supreme Court justice kept polls open for two extra hours, a decision that could face legal challenges. Lula, a former metalworker and union leader who first became president in 2003, will return to office after beating Bolsonaro’s father, Jair, in 2022. His narrow win leaves him with a divided Congress and a demanding agenda. ^2,5,13

That divided Congress is one of the challenges ahead. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party became the largest force in the legislature, while Lula lacks a majority and must work with centrist parties to pass proposals. Brazil also faces strained public finances, with public debt above 80% of its economy, as well as voter concerns about prices and crime. Human Rights Watch says police killings hit a record 6,589 in 2025 and kept rising through September 2026, disproportionately affecting Black Brazilians. Lula’s government will have to balance demands for safer communities with calls to curb police abuse. ^1,4

The 6,589 deaths make public safety one of the clearest measures of whether Lula can meet the human rights challenge. His new term begins in January 2027, after a campaign that exposed deep divisions and a strong conservative movement. Human Rights Watch urged Lula to address police killings and support human rights more consistently at home and abroad. The president and his government now face the task of turning that pressure into policy while working with an unfriendly Congress. ^1,4