Lula claims fourth term after 10.4 million voters shift, as Bolsonaro and Trump contest result

The incumbent president secured a fourth term on Sunday, but the victory is already entangled in legal disputes and international skepticism.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidential runoff with more than 64 million votes. His opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, received just under 60 million. The margin was nearly 4 percent. Lula is scheduled to take office on January 5, 2027.

The path to this result involved a late shift in voting behavior. The first round set a record for non-voters. The second round saw the fewest abstentions in history. An additional 14.1 million people cast ballots in the runoff. Analysts estimate that three-quarters of those new votes went to Lula.

Lula’s team credited a digital strategy led by lawmaker André Janones. Janones created a WhatsApp channel called “Lula's Army” that gathered almost 11 million people. This group mobilized voters who had previously stayed home or supported third parties. Oliver Stuenkel, a professor at Fundação Getulio Vargas, noted that the campaign adopted an aggressive, constant messaging style to counter its earlier lackluster performance.

The voting process itself became contentious due to a last-minute extension. A Supreme Court justice approved the change minutes before polls were set to close at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Lula requested the extension because of transportation issues in São Paulo and Salvador. Bolsonaro requested it following heavy rains in the south. Many polling stations did not receive the news until they were closing.

Flávio Bolsonaro announced on Sunday that he plans to request an annulment of the election. It is unclear which legal avenue he will use. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt and unsuccessfully challenged the 2022 results. Flávio Bolsonaro visited his father under house arrest on Monday.

President Donald Trump joined the critique on Monday. He suggested the election was rigged without providing evidence. Trump told reporters, “It looked like another rigged election, frankly.” He added that the tabulation process “had a very bad look.”

Kassio Nunes, the president of Brazil’s electoral authority, recognized Lula’s victory on Sunday. Nunes was appointed to the Supreme Court by Jair Bolsonaro. Brian Winter of Americas Quarterly said that Brazilian power brokers are closing ranks behind Lula to avoid a contested election. Lula will face a right-wing Congress and a fiscal crisis. Bolsonaro’s party will hold more seats than any other in the legislature. Bolsonaro remains a senator until his term ends in January.