Brazil's Lula da Silva wins runoff to secure fourth presidential term

Brazil's incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won the second round of the country's presidential election, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reported, securing re-election for a fourth term. According to the TSE, after 97.69% of the ballots in the runoff were counted, Lula da Silva held 51.74% of the votes, while his opponent, right-wing opposition candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, was backed by 48.26%.

The result makes Lula da Silva the first politician in present-day Brazilian history to win the presidential election after trailing in the first round of voting. The elected head of state is scheduled to assume office on January 1, 2027.

Voter turnout in the second round was reported at 80.79%, with 127,807,732 citizens participating. The abstention rate stood at 19.21%, corresponding to 30,081,854 voters. Blank ballots accounted for 1.12% of the total (1,426,055 votes), while invalid ballots made up 2.12% (2,713,225 votes).

The runoff followed a first round in which Lula da Silva trailed his opponent, setting up the head-to-head contest decided by the TSE's count. The court's figures form the basis for the official outcome of the election.

According to Mehr News, the TSE announced the results after nearly all ballots had been counted, confirming Lula da Silva's victory over Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the second round.