Lula wins fourth term as Brazil president after historic upset over far-right Flávio Bolsonaro

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Leftist incumbent Lula says unprecedented comeback was a ‘defeat for denialism’ as Bolsonaro refuses to accept election result</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/25/brazil-election-runoff-live-updates-flavio-bolsonaro-lula">Lula wins election in stunning comeback – live updates</a></p></li></ul><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva">Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva</a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva">Brazilian</a> president, has staged a dramatic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/27/viscerally-dedicated-to-social-issues-behind-lulas-drive-to-win-final-term-in-brazils-crunch-election">election fightback</a>, defeating his far-right opponent, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/fl-vio-bolsonaro">Flávio Bolsonaro</a>, to claim a historic fourth term in power.</p><p>With 100% of votes counted the 80-year-old leftist received 4.4m votes more than Bolsonaro, with a 51.79% share to his 45-year-old rival’s 48.21%. However, soon after Brazil’s electoral authority confirmed Lula’s victory, Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and asked for the results to be annulled.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/lula-wins-brazil-election">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.