Lula’s win in Brazil bucks a regional shift to the right and denies Trump a powerful ally

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Brazilian voters have denied Latin America's resurgent right its ultimate prize, snapping a streak of seven straight conservative presidential victories in 18 months.

What happened

In practice, the stunning triumph of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday, with 51.8% of the vote to 48.2%, limits U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to tighten his grip on the Western Hemisphere and cements Latin America's most populous country and largest economy as a counterweight to Washington. A Bolsonaro victory would have left Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum as the only progressive president among the region's powerhouses.

More broadly, Brazil's vote – held the same day Serbia's opposition scored a stunning win – opened a stretch of high-stakes elections that could reshape global politics, with Israel on Tuesday holding its first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the U.S. Midterms on Nov. 3.

The bottom line

For now, lula's win in Brazil bucks a regional shift to the right and remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.