The leftist Brazilian president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, was re-elected on Sunday for a fourth non-consecutive term, after defeating his conservative rival Flavio Bolsonaro, who was backed by Trump.
The Brazilian electoral authority announced Lula da Silva's re-election as president of the country, stating that after counting 100% of the votes, Lula won with an insurmountable decisive lead. The Brazilian president received 51.76% of the votes, compared to 48.24% for the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to official results. With Lula da Silva's victory, Brazil did not eventually tilt to the right like Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, countries that enjoy support from American president Donald Trump, but remained one of the few progressive strongholds in Latin America. Lula da Silva, one of the oldest leaders in the world, will be eighty-five when his new term ends in 2030. Thus, his total years in power will reach 16 years, after an initial presidential term he spent in office from 2003 to 2010. During his election campaign, Lula da Silva raised the banner of sovereignty in the face of the trade and diplomatic pressures exerted by the United States. In contrast, Bolsonaro rejected the results and called for the "cancellation of the elections," stating it is "impossible to acknowledge the election results." He added that "many things still need clarification," referring to the judicial decision that allowed the extension of voting hours due to public transport issues that hindered some voters. *Vote Counting The vote counting process resumed in the presidential election runoff in Brazil, after a surprising decision to extend voting hours at the last moment caused confusion in polling centers.
The electoral authority stated that it temporarily halted the vote counting in the runoff of the presidential elections after one of the Supreme Court judges ruled to extend voting hours nationwide by two hours. The Associated Press reported that the decision to extend caused confusion in many polling centers; some had closed their doors before the decision reached them just three minutes before the original closing time. The agency mentioned that this decision might open the door for potential legal challenges, regardless of who would win. Tensions were high amid expectations of a close race as both candidates made last-minute appeals to the electoral authorities to extend voting for two hours in specific states. Lula da Silva presented himself as a bastion against American intervention and the decline of democracy, promising to expand social protection.
Flavio Bolsonaro (45 years old) achieved a major surprise earlier this month by defying polling expectations, leading the vote in the first round, promising to eradicate crime, reduce government spending, and hand Brazil over to "Lord Jesus Christ," while proposing a vision for change.*An American Campaign Previously, Reuters had revealed a campaign within the U.S. State Department to assist the Bolsonaro family in returning to power. President Donald Trump has so far refrained from endorsing a specific candidate, telling reporters in Washington when asked who he hoped would win: "I don't want to interfere in that, but we are watching." The election campaign was also affected by the repercussions of Jair Bolsonaro's 2025 conviction for plotting a coup in 2022. Flavio promised to release his father if he wins the elections.
Trump described this case as a "targeted campaign" and imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil in 2025, a decision clearly linked to Jair Bolsonaro's trial. Although some of these measures were later eased, Trump imposed new tariffs on Brazil this year, attributing them to unfair trade practices. Lula da Silva considered the Trump administration's closeness to the Bolsonaro family as part of attempts to influence the elections, criticizing the tariffs and other punitive measures, describing them as coercive. Source: Agencies
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