Lula wins fourth term in Brazil election against Flávio Bolsonaro
“I’ve never complained about anything in any election before. Whether I won or lost, I’d just accept it and get ready for the next one. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said as voting hours in the country’s presidential runoff were extended by two hours on October 25, 2026.”
The Supreme Court ordered polls to close at 7pm instead of the initial 5pm cutoff following public transportation complaints, leading the electoral authority to temporarily pause a vote count that had already started publishing early-stage results, rte.ie reported. The decision injected fresh uncertainty into a tense electoral battle pitting the incumbent leftist against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Justice Zanin Extends Voting After Transit Issues
Supreme Justice Cristiano Zanin accepted a request from Lula’s campaign to extend voting, pointing directly to public transportation issues in three cities within the state of Bahia. Lula’s campaign had alleged that local officials deliberately reduced public transit fleets to impede voters, with a court in Salvador ordering the arrest of a top transportation official over allegations that he directed a reduction in the city’s bus fleet. Lula asserted that many people had been barred from voting after buses were taken out of circulation in São Paulo and several other cities.
The ruling landed precisely at the 5pm cutoff. At that moment, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) had already published early results covering 0.25% of ballots, which showed Lula leading with 57.66% to Bolsonaro’s 42.34%. Following the Supreme Court intervention, the TSE announced it would freeze the count until the extended voting window closed across the country. Bolsonaro had also petitioned for voting extensions in at least three states, citing bad weather.
Lula Wins Presidency but Faces Conservative Congress
As the count resumed and concluded, the electoral court called the race for Lula, making him the first candidate since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 to win the presidency after finishing second in the first round, according to Reuters and The Guardian. Final results published by the TSE and reported by The Guardian showed Lula winning 51.52% of the vote (56,506,197 votes) against Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.48% (53,164,037 votes).
Despite securing an unprecedented fourth term, Lula faces a formidable legislative obstacle. Brazil elected its most conservative Congress since the 1980s transition to democracy, with Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) and allied right-wing factions positioned to control over 280 seats in the lower house and up to 50 seats in the Senate. Analysts noted that this conservative alignment in parliament could significantly restrict the executive branch’s legislative agenda and complicate future governance.
Diaspora Voting Amid Severe Weather in Dublin
Thousands of Brazilian expatriates living in Ireland cast their ballots at the RDS in Dublin despite severe disruptions. Voters faced storm conditions, local traffic restrictions stemming from the 45th Irish Life Dublin Marathon, and an unexpected power cut at the venue that halted voting for an hour between 8:30am and 9:30am, rte.ie reported. The Brazilian ambassador to Ireland told RTÉ News that over half of registered voters residing in the country were expected to participate in the runoff despite the hurdles.