After a long and chaotic round of voting, Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will remain in office for a fourth non-consecutive term.
The 81-year-old known as Lula won by nearly 4.4 million votes. He had 51.8% of the total vote.
His opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, asked for a redo after an evening of confusion at some polling places. Three minutes before the end of voting, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin decided to keep polls open for two more hours so more votes could pour in. That move was in response to requests by both candidates.
It’s not clear if Bolsonaro could make a case for another election.
During the first round of elections, Bolsonaro beat Lula by more than 2.2 million votes. However, neither candidate received enough votes to declare a winner. One needed to capture 50% of the votes in order to win. Both went back to campaigning.
Suspicions of corruption floated around both candidates. Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after he lost the 2022 presidential election to Lula. Lula spent a year in prison on corruption convictions. The charges were eventually annulled.
After losing the first round, Lula reorganized his campaign. He put millions of Brazilians on the streets to defend his legacy and warned that another Bolsonaro administration would harm the country. He promised incentives such as a shortened workweek, expanded welfare programs, and measures to cut fuel costs.
Bolsonaro took a tough-on-crime approach to his campaign. He appealed to voters with his promise to keep Brazil safe, lower the cost of living, and work closely with the United States.
Lula is a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump. They clashed when President Trump placed large tariffs on some of Brazil’s goods after Jair Bolsonaro was put on trial. Some observers think Lula won this election because of his take on Brazil’s relationship with the United States. He pledged to protect his country’s sovereignty. “Either the homeland remains free, or we die for Brazil,” he says.
Lula’s next term starts January 5, 2027.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and a quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. — 1 Timothy 2:1–2
