President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a new term in Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday, narrowly defeating conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a bitterly contested race.
With 99.9% of polling stations counted, Lula held 51.77% of valid votes against 48.23% for Bolsonaro. He finished more than four million votes ahead.
The result reverses the first round. Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, won that round on October 4 with 47.03% to Lula’s 45.16%. The runoff count swung back and forth through the evening, with Bolsonaro briefly ahead before Lula retook the lead and widened it.
Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Jair Bolsonaro endorsed his son’s candidacy.
Lula, of the Workers’ Party, narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 to secure a non-consecutive third term. The next president takes office on January 5, 2027.
This is a developing story and will be updated with reaction and any concession.
