Lula wins Brazil runoff after voting hours extended

The Brazilian presidential runoff on Sunday saw incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeat senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested race. With nearly 99 percent of votes counted, Lula secured 51.75 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro's 48.25 percent, according to multiple sources. The result marks Lula's fourth term in power, though not consecutive.

The race tightened significantly in the days before the vote. Tens of thousands of supporters for both candidates attended rallies on the eve of the election, with the campaign described as bitter and leaving the country deeply polarised. Polls had shown the two candidates running roughly even heading into the runoff.

Voting on Sunday was marked by a last-minute judicial intervention. A Supreme Court justice ordered polls to remain open for an additional two hours after the scheduled 5 p.m. closing time, extending voting until 7 p.m. The order created confusion among election officials about whether to reopen polling stations or proceed with counting machines. According to one account, Justice Cristiano Zanin, who had been Lula's lawyer before joining the court in 2023, issued the ruling.

The electoral court took action regarding transportation on election day. The local electoral court ordered the immediate restoration of 100 percent of the bus fleet and ordered the arrest of the municipal transport secretary, Pablo Souza, on suspicion of an electoral offence and disobeying court orders.

Lula's victory came after a shock loss in the first round of voting, where Bolsonaro had prevailed. The incumbent's comeback in the runoff represents a dramatic turnaround in the electoral contest. Lula, aged 80, defeated his 45-year-old opponent despite earlier disappointment among voters linked to corruption scandals and rising prices.

The election outcome determines whether Brazil will continue under leftist leadership or shift toward the right. Lula's fourth term places him as a major figure in Brazilian and global left-wing politics, having been the dominant force in Brazilian politics throughout the twenty-first century so far.