Lula Wins Narrow Re-election in Brazil, Keeping Distance From Trump's Washington

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won re-election in a run-off vote held on Sunday, a result that preserves some distance between Latin America's largest economy and the United States. Lula has been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump.

With all votes counted, Brazil's electoral court said Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, took 51.8 per cent of the vote and finished nearly 4.4 million votes ahead of challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. It will be Lula's non-consecutive fourth term as president. The new term begins on Jan. 5, 2027.

Addressing supporters, Lula thanked the Brazilian people and promised to respect all Brazilians regardless of gender or religion. He also took aim at his opponent. "This was a defeat for denialism and lies," he said, adding that he felt embarrassed every time he attended a debate. He also stressed Brazil's sovereignty, saying the country "will not accept being anyone's backyard."

Bolsonaro said after the result was announced that he wants the election annulled because of the extension of voting hours. That extension came after Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled, three minutes before polls were due to close, that voting should continue for two more hours. Both candidates had asked for more time.

Lula's request followed problems with buses that carry voters to polling places in São Paulo and Salvador, two cities that tend to favour the incumbent. Bolsonaro's request cited heavy rain in southern Brazil, where he is favoured. In some places the change caused confusion. Volunteers at a school in Brasilia debated whether to stay, and most left within 15 to 20 minutes of closing. At one Rio de Janeiro station, voting machines had already been switched off and could not be restarted. It was unclear how many stations stayed open late. Bolsonaro ally Nikolas Ferreira pointed out that Zanin is Lula's former lawyer.

The outcome is unusual in Brazilian history. Bolsonaro led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier this month, and Sunday's result marks the first time since the end of military dictatorship in 1985 that the runner-up in the first round went on to win the presidency.

Cost of living and security dominated the campaign. Bolsonaro built his bid around a tough-on-crime approach and promised to lower food prices, while Lula spent on costly incentives to win over undecided voters. Both candidates have faced corruption suspicions involving relatives and allies. Bolsonaro has been implicated in a sprawling scandal, and Lula once spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were later annulled. After losing the first round, Lula reorganized his campaign, courted young voters and mobilized millions of Brazilians to defend democratic values and his legacy.

Celebrations broke out after the result. Hundreds of Lula supporters gathered on São Paulo's main artery, and in Rio de Janeiro car horns sounded and a roar rose from the street as the result was confirmed. Rodrigo Valentim, a 51-year-old businessman and Bolsonaro supporter, said another Lula government would hurt the economy and that "the country is collapsing."

Lula's win goes against a regional trend of right-of-centre candidates allied with Trump taking power. It leaves Mexico and Brazil, the region's two most populous nations, with left-of-centre leaders, and it positions Brazil, with an annual GDP of $2.6 trillion US, to stay independent of Washington despite the pressure of Trump's tariffs. The result is likely the last victory of Lula's long career, which began in the 1970s as a union leader. He joins Trump and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, all aged 80, as the oldest presidents in the Americas.