Lula wins fourth term in dramatic Brazil election comeback

26 October 2026, 10: 16 GMT. Updated 15 minutes ago.

Key points

• Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, has already been president for three non-consecutive terms, serving two terms between January 2003 to December 2010, and again from January 2023.
• Lula secured 51.79% of the vote against Bolsonaro's 48.21% – a difference of 4.4 million votes between the two candidates.
• Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin informed him: "You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy." Lula wins in Brazil but faces hostile Congress and divided country.
• Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term in office in a dramatic comeback over his right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro.
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Lula's victory one for the "global south and progressive forces throughout the world".

Left-wing leader Lula took 51.79% of votes, becoming the first president since the return to civilian rule in 1985 to win an election after losing the first round of voting.

Lula informed celebratory crowds this election is a "loss for negativity, lies", afterwards adding "long live democracy".

Flávio Bolsonaro, who is the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, has so far refused to recognise the result and pressed it to be annulled. It experts say is unlikely.

In an unprecedented move, polls were additionally extended for two hours on Sunday evening after both candidates produced requests for different reasons.

While Senator Bolsonaro's campaign cited heavy rain in some areas in the south of the country and in São Paulo as the reason for their request, lula's team had argued that voters in São Paulo and Bahia could not obtain to the polling stations as of a lack of buses.

For context, the decision – issued by the Supreme Court just as polling stations were due to close – meant that some had already shut and were not able to re-open.

Supreme Court President Kassio Nunes Marques – appointed by the older Bolsonaro – confirmed Lula's victory and remarked that the voting extension did not cause matters for the count or the electoral process.

In practice, the result came as a surprise after Bolsonaro – who has the backing of his father – won the first round of voting on 4 October with 47% of votes ahead of Lula's 45%.

But Lula's camp gained momentum ahead of election day, focusing on boosting voter turnout after 33 million individuals did not vote in round one.

Sunday saw the largest drop in abstention between the first and second rounds of a presidential election since 1989.

As disconsolate Bolsonaro supporters left the house in Brasília where their candidate had been watching the result, Lula took to the streets in São Paulo to celebrate and address his supporters.

"This, my fourth term, will be the best of any president in the history of this country", the former metal worker remarked. "It will be the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people."

Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin informed him: "You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy." Lula wins in Brazil but faces hostile Congress and divided country. Who is Lula? From ex-worker and prisoner to Brazil's president again.

Bolsonaro, who had been poised to offer a victory speech, stated the result should be annulled, calling it "inexplicable" and "impossible".

But electoral law experts have informed BBC Brasil that the chances of the results being annulled are remote.

Fernando Neisser from the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo (Iasp) remarked it would be "difficult from a legal standpoint" given that the margin of victory was relatively substantial, and would depend on the "narrative" his lawyers proposed.

According to Expert Alberto Rollo, dates for presidential elections in Brazil are fixed and determined by the constitution, which would add another complication to getting it annulled.

His win makes him the first in Brazilian history to secure a fourth term. It will last until 2030.

But this has been a bitterly fought campaign and the new term – set to start on 5 January – comes against the backdrop of significant constraints at home and abroad, including animosity from US President Donald Trump.

Referring to what Trump has called the "Donroe Doctrine" – which seeks to establish US dominance in the Western Hemisphere – Lula applied his victory speech to insist that Brazil "will not accept being anyone's backyard".

Trump has previously shown backing for Bolsonaro's father Jair. This person is at present serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of a coup attempt after losing the 2022 elections to Lula. Flávio Bolsonaro met Trump at the White House earlier this year to bid for his backing.

Lula has additionally bucked a wider trend in Latin America, where voters in countries such as Argentina, Chile and Colombia have put right-wing candidates and parties in power.

While Trump has yet to react, other world leaders have been congratulating Lula on his win.

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Azin remarked the region had "common enemies, shared challenges, and much to gain when we work together."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remarked "democracy and multilateralism" had won. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – additionally a left-wing leader – called it a "great victory", saying "the comeback of global progressivism has just begun". French President Emmanuel Macron remarked the two nations should work "in service of a more just world".

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Lula's victory one for the "global south and progressive forces throughout the world". Extra reporting by Vinícius de S. Mendes, BBC Brasil.

Taken together, the developments around lula wins fourth term in dramatic Brazil election comeback point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.