Lula defeats Bolsonaro’s son to secure fourth term as Brazil’s president

• Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured 51.7% of the vote, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who received 48.2%.
• The result extends Lula’s political comeback and keeps Brazil under left-wing leadership amid a closely contested battle with the right.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth, non-consecutive presidential term on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested runoff that underscored the country’s deep political divisions. Official results showed Lula securing 51.7% of the vote against 48.2% for Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The victory extends the political career of the nearly 80-year-old leftist leader, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 before returning to office in 2023. His re-election keeps Latin America’s largest economy under the leadership of the Workers’ Party (PT) and delivers a setback to the Bolsonaro political movement, which has remained a powerful force in Brazilian politics.

The contest pitted Lula’s established left-wing coalition against Flávio Bolsonaro’s conservative campaign, which sought to build on the political influence of his father, who was sentenced to prison for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election defeat. The outcome also carries implications for Brazil’s relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump, amid tensions over trade and Washington’s engagement with Brazil’s political right.

Lula’s position on Palestine has been a prominent feature of his foreign policy, setting his government apart from political figures who have advocated closer alignment with ‘Israel’.

In September 2025, Lula described ‘Israel’s’ actions in Gaza as genocide, citing findings by a United Nations commission of inquiry, and confirmed Brazil’s participation in South Africa’s genocide case against ‘Israel’ at the International Court of Justice. He also reiterated Brazil’s commitment to Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution.

Read more: Brazil chooses between Lula and Bolsonaro in nail-biter vote