Last Updated on October 26, 2026 9:41 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
AMN/ WEB DESK
Brazil’s Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defeated right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s intense presidential race. With this victory, Lula has become the only politician in modern Brazilian history who successfully rebound and win the second round after falling behind in the first. Incumbent Lula won the final runoff election with 51 percent of the vote and more than 51.49 million ballots. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro received 48.68 percent of the vote, which amounted to 48.8 million ballots. Just over 2.6 million votes separated the two candidates. Because of the close and highly contested race, voting stations across the country remained open two hours longer than originally planned.
The former metalworker union leader, at the age of 80 will be sworn into office on 5th of January next year, breaking his own record as the oldest president to take the oath of office since Brazil returned to a democracy. This victory marks an unprecedented fourth non-consecutive term for Lula, who has run for the presidency a total of seven times.
During his campaign, Lula has rallied supporters around cost-of-living issues. He championed a constitutional amendment passed this month that reduces the Brazilian workweek, and floated the possibility of providing free public transport on weekends. Lula’s victory stops a recent regional trend in South America, where right-wing leaders have swept recent presidential elections in nearby countries like Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador.