Lula Erases 2.2 Million Deficit to Claim Fourth Presidency

Lula trailed by 2.2 million votes after the first round in early October. By the time nearly 99% of ballots were counted in Sunday's runoff, he led Flávio Bolsonaro by 4.3 million. The final tally stood at 51.75% for Lula and 48.25% for Bolsonaro, who is 45. Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, secured a fourth term as Brazil's president.

The victory marks the first time since the 1980s that a candidate who finished second in the initial vote won the final election. The shift appears driven by a change in participation. The first round recorded a record abstention rate of 21.08%, a figure that hurt Lula because his supporters often live farther from polling stations. Abstention dropped to 19.21% in the runoff.

Reginaldo Lopes, a key ally, described the moment of confirmation as feeling "incredible." He stated that Brazil sent a message to the world about the extreme right and that the country would now "reorganize the democratic forces."

The result delivers a major setback to the Bolsonaro family. Jair Bolsonaro, the father of the defeated candidate, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup. He had anticipated a path to freedom and a government role if his son won. While his son watched the count in Brasília, the confirmation of the loss was met with anger and bewilderment.

US President Donald Trump also faced a strategic blow. He had expected Brazil to join a bloc of pro-Trump leaders in Latin America, which includes Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia, Daniel Noboa in Ecuador, José Antonio Kast in Chile, and Javier Milei in Argentina.

Supporters demonstrated their strength on Saturday, with more than a million people gathering on Rio's Copacabana beach and larger crowds marching on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. On Sunday evening, hundreds returned to the avenue to watch the count, waving red flags. Camilo Buarque, 35, declared, "This is democracy."

Anger in São Paulo focused on an apparent attempt by pro-Bolsonaro politicians to disrupt the vote by sabotaging public transport in areas leaning toward Lula. Lucas Lopes, 32, called the incident "another coup attempt." The effort failed. Caio Marques, a 40-year-old photographer from Franca, noted that while the left failed in the first round, they woke up in the second.