On Oct. 25, left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva was reelected for a fourth term. Lula won the election with 51.79% of the votes, or 64.26 million ballots compared to Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.21%, or 59.83 million votes.
Being the latest chapter in a long career, Lula made his way from being a shoeshine worker to becoming one of the most influential figures in Brazil’s unionized labor movement. Later, in 2003, he would assume his first presidency.
In his victory speech, Lula remarked, “This election was a defeat for lies,” later explaining how he felt his opponent Bolansaro lied to supporters many times throughout his campaign.
“Long live democracy,” he added.
Immediately after the win, Bolsonaro refused to concede and, due to alleged irregularities like a last-minute extension of voting hours, called for the result to be annulled. While Bolsonaro has now accepted the results of the election, he has yet to formally concede.
The controversy mirrors a similar incident that occurred after the 2022 election when Javiar Bolsonaro, Flavio’s father, also refused to accept his defeat. He later was convicted for plotting a coup and sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Lula faced a tough reelection due to voter concerns about high costs of living and rising crime rates. Where Lula prioritized harnessing digital platforms like WhatsApp to share political messaging and garner voters, Bolsonaro took a tough-on-crime approach as the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to lower food costs to try and sway undecided viewers.
Brazil holds general elections quadrennially, always in October. Presidents and governors are elected by a simple majority, however, if no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes in the first round, the candidates face off in a “second round,” or a run-off election.
After initially losing during the first round on Oct. 4 to right-wing opponent Bolsonaro, the win marked a surprising setback for the right-wing political movement which has gained traction across Latin America. Lula’s victory leaves Mexico and Brazil, the region’s two most populous nations, with left leaning leaders.
Results of the election have drawn many reactions from all over the world, with democratic socialist Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani writing, “The people united will never be defeated!”
Following the election, activists and leaders flooded social media wearing the national football team stripe, along with the colors green, yellow and blue, in an attempt to reclaim symbols that had been heavily dominated by the Bolsonaro campaign.
Lula is to be sworn into office for his new term this upcoming January. Lula’s win raises hope that many of the left-leaning policies in Brazil will continue, but working under a new congress with a record number of right-wing politicians may prove to be difficult.
With this, Lula’s reelection brings overwhelming feelings of optimism while leaving room for uncertainty.
