The key facts

  • Lula received 51.8% of valid votes and a fourth presidential term
  • The margin over Flávio Bolsonaro is roughly 4.4 million votes (Superior Electoral Court data)
  • Bolsonaro refused to accept the outcome and intends to seek annulment of the result

Celebrations on Paulista Avenue

On the night after the second round of the presidential election, thousands of supporters of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva filled the iconic Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. According to an Euronews video report, fireworks, car horns and chants of 'Lula, Lula' rang out over the avenue: people waved Brazilian flags, danced, sang and embraced one another. The celebrations continued into Monday, and similar scenes were seen in other cities across Brazil.

Second-round results

According to the Superior Electoral Court, the left-wing president received 51.8% of valid votes against 48.2% for his right-wing rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. This secured Lula a fourth term with a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes. The victory came after Lula managed to overcome his deficit from the first round.

The loser does not accept the outcome

Flávio Bolsonaro, according to Euronews, refused to accept the election result and said he intends to seek its annulment. Thus, the final resolution of the vote's outcome remained an open question at the time of publication: the court's official data recorded Lula's victory, but the legal actions of the losing side were still to be resolved.