VIDEO The results of the historic presidential elections have been announced, Brazil has never experienced such a turnaround

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a historic fourth term in office on Sunday, reversing a deficit from the first round of voting to defeat Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The Brazilian electoral court declared Lula the winner with 51.79 percent of the vote, totaling 64,256,232 ballots. His opponent, the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, received 48.21 percent, or 59,826,041 votes. This outcome marks the first time since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1989 that a candidate trailing in the first round managed to win the runoff. The reversal was substantial. In the first round held on October 4, Flávio Bolsonaro led with 47.03 percent of the vote against Lula’s 45.16 percent. That initial gap represented a lead of more than two million votes for the conservative candidate. By the end of the second round, Lula had not only closed that gap but extended his advantage to approximately 4.3 million votes. Some calculations suggest the swing amounted to 6.6 million additional votes for the incumbent compared to the previous contest. With 97.69 percent of polling sections counted earlier in the evening, the margin was already statistically decisive, standing at 51.74 percent for Lula and 48.26 percent for Bolsonaro. The campaign focused heavily on turnout. Lula’s team identified voter participation as their primary path to victory. Following a record abstention rate of 21.08 percent in the first round, which disproportionately affected Lula’s base due to geographic distance from polling stations, the non-vote rate dropped to 19.21 percent in the runoff. Flávio Bolsonaro campaigned on reducing public spending, cracking down on organized crime, and aligning Brazil more closely with the administration of US President Donald Trump. He also pledged to seek the release of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Polling data in the final days indicated a tight race. A CNT/MDA survey released on Saturday showed the candidates nearly tied, with Flávio Bolsonaro at 46.3 percent and Lula at 45 percent. The margin of statistical error was 2.2 percentage points. The institute surveyed 2,032 individuals between October 21 and October 23. Previous polls from the prior week had shown a slightly larger lead for the senator. Another survey by Datafolha published on Thursday suggested the pair were effectively tied at 50 percent each, contrasting with a four-point lead for Bolsonaro in polls from two weeks earlier. During the final debate on Friday, the candidates exchanged sharp criticisms. Flávio Bolsonaro accused the incumbent of allowing organized crime to expand, driving families into debt, and failing to address rising costs of living. Lula responded by characterizing his opponent as disconnected from the realities of ordinary Brazilians, stating that the senator did not know what hunger was nor understand the country. Lula’s victory concludes a turbulent period for his political career. Born in rural poverty in northeastern Brazil, he moved to the industrial suburbs of São Paulo as a child, where he worked as a metalworker and rose to become a prominent union leader. He co-founded the Workers' Party, which became a major force on the left. His first two terms, spanning 2003 to 2010, featured economic growth and expanded social programs, though they were later marred by corruption scandals involving his party. In 2018, Lula was imprisoned on corruption charges, barring him from running in that cycle. Those convictions were later overturned, allowing him to return to politics and defeat Jair Bolsonaro in 2022. The result does not signal the end of the conservative movement built by Jair Bolsonaro. The political group retains a strong voter base and significant influence within the Brazilian Congress, presenting ongoing challenges for Lula’s new mandate. The polarization between the left surrounding Lula and the conservative bloc has deepened over years, extending beyond standard partisan competition to encompass issues of security, religion, and Amazon protection. Celebrations erupted in São Paulo, where Lula monitored the count from a private room at the Intercontinental Hotel alongside his wife, Janja. Allies described the moment as a rejection of fascism and extremism. One key supporter stated that the result signaled Brazil’s intent to reorganize its democratic forces. Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, holds the record for the highest number of votes cast in a Brazilian presidential election, surpassing his own previous total of 60 million votes from the 2022 runoff. The electorate grew from 156 million registered voters in 2022 to 158 million in 2026. Flávio Bolsonaro alleged voting irregularities and sought to annul the results, challenging the legitimacy of the outcome despite the mathematical certainty declared by the electoral tribunal.