The key facts

  • Lula won with 51.8% against 48.2% for Flávio Bolsonaro
  • Thousands of people celebrated the victory on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo
  • Flávio Bolsonaro refused to accept the election result

Election Victory

Brazil's incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidential election, receiving 51.8% of the vote against 48.2% for his right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro — the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. According to AFP, Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede the result. He won the first round and, according to polls, held a slight lead going into the runoff, but ultimately lost to the incumbent head of state.

Celebrations in São Paulo

On Sunday, after the results were announced, thousands of people took to São Paulo's main thoroughfare, Paulista Avenue. The crowd chanted Lula's victory means to her. She was born during the military dictatorship that ruled from 1964 to 1985, and, according to her, she promised her granddaughter that Brazilians would never go through that again. Sixty-four-year-old doorman Afonso dos Reis carried a sign reading

The Fate of Jair Bolsonaro

One of the central themes of the campaign was the fate of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who ruled from 2019 to 2022. He is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 election, and his son Flávio promised to free his father if he won. Thirty-three-year-old theater actor Mateus Freitas shouted

The Significance of the Result

According to AFP, the left's victory turned Brazil away from a rightward shift — in contrast to the recent series of victories backed by US President Donald Trump in Latin America. Editorially, it is worth noting: the election result directly determines whether an attempt will be made to free Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a sentence for an attempted coup — precisely what his son demanded during the campaign. Uncertainty remains due to Flávio Bolsonaro's refusal to accept the outcome of the vote; sources do not report on his next steps.