Lula Claims Fourth Term as Brazil Extends Polls Amid Chaos

Brazil’s electoral court announced on Sunday that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidency with 51.8 percent of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro by a margin of nearly 4.4 million ballots. The result secures a fourth, non-consecutive term for the 81-year-old leader, who will assume office on January 5, 2027. The victory maintains a political distance between the Americas’ largest economy and the White House, as Lula remains a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

The confirmation followed a turbulent evening at polling stations across the country. Three minutes before the scheduled closing time, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered that voting extend by two hours. Zanin granted the request at the behest of both candidates. Lula’s team cited transportation disruptions in São Paulo and Salvador, while Bolsonaro’s camp pointed to heavy rains in the south. The decision delayed the final tally and created immediate confusion at local counting sites.

In Rio de Janeiro, some voting machines had already been powered down minutes before the extension took effect. Volunteers in Brasília debated whether they needed to remain after the initial count, with most leaving within 15 to 20 minutes of the original closing time. It remained unclear how many stations successfully reopened. Nikolas Ferreira, an ally of Bolsonaro, noted that Zanin previously served as Lula’s lawyer, a fact that fuelled early challenges to the process.

Flávio Bolsonaro stated after the results were released that he intends to seek to have the election annulled due to the late extension. In his first comments since the first round, which he won by more than 2.2 million votes, Bolsonaro has yet to formally concede. The runoff marked the first time since 1985 that the candidate with the second-highest number of first-round votes secured the presidency.

Lula addressed his supporters in São Paulo, where hundreds gathered on the city’s main artery. In a video released by his campaign, he was seen wearing star-shaped red glasses and kissing his wife, Rosângela. He pledged to respect all Brazilians regardless of gender or religion while attacking his opponent’s record. “This was a defeat for denialism and lies,” Lula said. “I must confess that every time I attended a debate, I felt embarrassed.”

The candidate also emphasized national sovereignty, stating, “Either the homeland remains free or we die for Brazil. This country will not accept being anyone's backyard.” The win bucks a regional trend where right-of-centre leaders aligned with Washington have gained power. Brazil and Mexico, the region’s two most populous nations, now have left-of-centre governments. This positioning allows the $2.6 trillion economy to maintain independence despite increased U.S. tariffs.

Voters cited cost of living and security as primary concerns. Bolsonaro campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform and promises to lower food prices. Lula countered with costly incentives aimed at undecided voters. Both candidates face corruption suspicions involving family members. Bolsonaro is implicated in a sprawling current scandal, while Lula served over a year in prison on convictions that were later annulled by the Supreme Court.

Lula’s political career spans five decades, beginning in the 1970s as a union leader and founder of the Workers’ Party. He was first elected in 2002, re-elected in 2006, and returned to power in 2022 after a brief imprisonment. He joins Donald Trump and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, all aged 80, as the oldest sitting presidents in the Americas. The next term begins in early 2027.

In Rio, the reaction was stark. A woman in red, the colour associated with Lula’s supporters, shouted at four men in yellow and green, the colours of Bolsonaro’s base. The scene reflected a deeply divided electorate. Rodrigo Valentim, a 51-year-old Bolsonaro supporter, expressed frustration with the outcome. “I don’t understand how people can vote for Lula,” he said. “The country is collapsing.”