Lula Wins Fourth Presidential Term in Brazil, Defeats Bolsonaro in Runoff

Addressing supporters in São Paulo after his re-election, Lula declared, "BRAZIL IS NO ONE'S BACKYARD," in an apparent rebuke to US influence in the region. His victory came against Flávio Bolsonaro, who had advocated closer ties with the Trump administration and promised to pursue better trade deals with Washington.

Lula also called for the regulation of digital platforms, claiming Brazil had overcome foreign intervention through them. "We need to regulate digital platforms," he said, adding that his campaign had managed to counter foreign interference through digital platforms.

With more than 78% of votes counted, Lula was leading with 51.21% against Bolsonaro's 48.79%, according to Reuters' live election coverage. Pollster Datafolha had projected Lula's victory before the electoral authority officially confirmed the result.

Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro called for Brazil's election results to be 'annulled' after Lula da Silva's victory, challenging the outcome of the closely fought contest.

The result represents a setback for US President Donald Trump's allies in Latin America. Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator and son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, had campaigned on strengthening ties with Washington and securing better trade agreements with the Trump administration.

Lula, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, had criticised US tariffs on Brazilian exports and Washington's designation of drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organisations. These disagreements made US policy towards Brazil a central issue in the presidential campaign.

In his victory speech, Lula pledged to work with Brazil's conservative-led Congress despite political differences, promising to govern for the entire country.

"I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, we no longer have an electoral rival," Lula said, seeking to strike a conciliatory note after a campaign that deepened political divisions.

He also promised changes to the country's governance and greater public participation in policymaking.

"We will change the way we run this country, we will make people participate more in decision-making process," he said.

Lula said his campaign had convinced voters that participating in the election was essential to protecting Brazil's democratic institutions.

"We managed to convince people that voting was extremely important to safeguard democracy in Brazil," he said.

The election pitted two sharply polarised political camps against each other, with disagreements over relations with the United States, crime, climate policy and social welfare dominating the campaign.

Lula's victory leaves Brazil and Mexico under left-of-centre leadership in two of Latin America's largest economies, while dealing a setback to conservative forces seeking closer alignment with the Trump administration.

Cost of living and crime emerged as key issues during Lula's re-election battle. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime agenda central to his campaign and promised to reduce food prices, while Lula offered financial incentives to attract undecided voters.

Both political camps were also dogged by corruption allegations involving allies and family members. Bolsonaro faced scrutiny over a sprawling scandal, while Lula had previously spent more than a year in prison following corruption convictions that were later annulled.

The runoff was a rematch between two political forces that have divided Brazil in recent years. In the previous presidential election, Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro by the narrowest margin since the country's return to democracy in 1985.

Flávio Bolsonaro had led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier this month, setting the stage for a closely fought runoff.

Lula's supporters backed him for his record on poverty reduction and support for marginalised communities. Bolsonaro's supporters, meanwhile, pointed to high prices and taxes and accused Lula's political camp of corruption.

US policy towards Brazil remained a major issue throughout the campaign, with Lula criticising Trump's trade measures and approach to tackling organised crime.

Flávio Bolsonaro emphasised his links with the White House and argued that Brazil needed better agreements with the Trump administration, including in the rare-earth minerals sector. Brazil estimates that it holds deposits of up to 21 million tonnes of rare-earth resources, second only to China.

Lula's fourth presidential term therefore begins against a backdrop of domestic political divisions, concerns over living costs and crime, and competing visions for Brazil's international relationships, particularly its ties with the United States.