Lula’s fourth term confirmed after a tense Brazil runoff

Lula’s fourth term is secured after Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday, 25 October. The electoral court confirmed his win over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro once every vote had been counted.

The court said Lula held a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes. That margin was too large to be overturned by the late-count delays. He will take office on 5 January 2027.

Why Lula’s fourth term was not a quiet win

The day was messy. Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting by two hours, three minutes before the polls were due to close. Both campaigns had asked for it.

Lula’s team pointed to bus transport problems in São Paulo and Salvador. Bolsonaro’s side cited heavy rain in the south. At one polling station in Rio de Janeiro, the voting machines were switched off minutes after closing and could not be restarted.

The extension pushed back the count by two hours. It is unclear how many stations stayed open late. Reporters said the decision could trigger legal action from the Bolsonaro camp.

Allies of the defeated candidate raised the fact that Zanin once served as Lula’s lawyer. That detail will shape the argument over whether the result is accepted.

The result also breaks a pattern. It is the first time since the military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the candidate who finished second in the first round went on to win the presidency.

The campaign turned on the cost of living and security. Both camps faced corruption allegations involving relatives and allies. Lula also made national sovereignty a central theme and criticised US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

With Mexico, Brazil now has a left-of-centre leader in Latin America’s largest economy. Supporters celebrated outside Lula’s hotel in São Paulo as the count closed.

What comes next matters more than the celebration. The courts may now hear challenges. Brazil’s institutions have handled disputed results before, and they will be tested again. Democracies remain healthy when losers use the courts rather than the streets. We have also looked at how freedoms come under pressure elsewhere.

Lula will inherit a divided country. Voters on both sides will now watch how quickly the dispute over late voting settles.

Read the PBS NewsHour report for the full account of the runoff.

Fact basis: PBS NewsHour (26 October 2026) on the runoff result, margin, voting extension and context; SBS News Korea and The Standard (Hong Kong), 26 October 2026, on the result and polling-day delays.