Brazil's left-wing President Lula wins a fourth term in office, defeating his right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro
The 80-year-old, who took just under 52% in the run-off vote, tells cheering supporters in São Paulo that Brazilians had voted to "guarantee democracy"
Bolsonaro - who won the first round - says the result is "inexplicable" and calls for it to be annulled - our Latin America editor explains what's happening
His father, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, is currently serving a jail sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing the last election
This election was bitterly fought - and it bucks a wider regional trend towards right-wing leaders, our Latin America editor writes
Follow live coverage from BBC Brasil in Portuguese
Thousands of Lula's supporters have spilled out onto the streets of São Paulo, celebrating his win - here are the latest pictures from the scene.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniLula waved a Brazilian flag as he celebrated with his vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin
Lula has been addressing his supporters in São Paulo and thanking them for their support, which he said made it possible for him to recover from his defeat in the first round of the election to go on to win in the run-off.
He mentioned young voters, women and teachers as having contributed to his victory.
He also praised workers who had fought for a shorter working week. A constitutional amendment guaranteeing employees two days off a week without a cut in salary was approved by Congress less than two weeks before the run-off and is thought to have boosted support for Lula, who had backed it.
Then, Lula asked for the national anthem to be played.
"Long live democracy," he said as the anthem finished, adding that "this, my fourth term, will be the best of any president in the history of this country".
"It will be the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people."
Caio Quero
BBC News Brasil editor
Image source, ReutersPresident Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected to a fourth term after defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff of Brazil’s presidential election.
With 98.87% of ballot boxes counted, Brazil’s electoral court (TSE) declared Lula mathematically elected. The incumbent president secured 51.79% of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 48.21%, a wider margin than his victory over Flávio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in 2022.
The result came as a surprise, marking the first time since Brazil's return to democracy that a candidate who lost the first round managed to overturn the result and win the presidency.
It followed a massive campaign by Lula’s supporters on social media and street demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands of people to Brazil’s main cities, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Election day was also marked by high voter turnout, with the largest drop in abstention between the first and second rounds of a presidential election in democratic elections since 1989.
The day, however, was marred by controversy, with Lula’s campaign alleging voter suppression after a shortage of buses left voters struggling to reach polling stations in several cities, including São Paulo and Salvador, in north-eastern Brazil.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign also called for an extension of voting hours because of adverse weather conditions in southern Brazil. The Supreme Court eventually extended voting by two hours.
Jair Bolsonaro is currently under arrest after being convicted in September 2025 of attempting a coup d’état after losing the 2022 elections against Lula.
Lula becomes the first president in Brazilian history to win a fourth term and will remain in office until 2030.
Ione Wells
Reporting from Brasília
Image source, ReutersFrom the official count data we are seeing, this was close - but not as close as the first round.
There were more than 4 million votes between President Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, or about 3 points. That’s more than the 2 points that Bolsonaro won the first round with.
It’s too early to say what made this difference - but we do know that President Lula’s campaign really gained momentum in the last few weeks and had an energy to it that we didn’t see in the first round.
Their major strategy was also to try boost the voter turnout, after 33 million people didn’t vote in round one.
Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor
Image source, Getty ImagesFlávio Bolsonaro had been expecting a victory tonight. His reaction to his election loss has been to question the result.
He said it was "impossible to recognise" even though with all of the results now in, he is trailing with 48.21% compared to Lula's 51.79%.
He is calling for an annulment of the election, and the reason he is giving is that "the rules of the game were changed".
What he is referring to is the decision by the Supreme Court to extend voting by two hours.
While it was an unusual decision, it was one which had been formally requested by both Lula and Bolsonaro's campaign teams.
Lula's team had argued that voters in São Paulo and Bahia could not get to the polling stations because of a lack of busses.
Bolsonaro's team cited heavy rain in some areas in the south of the country and in São Paulo as the reason for their request.
In his first public appearance, Bolsonaro said he would get his campaign's legal team to request the annulment.
No doubt the legal team is now busy hammering out the arguments it will put before the court to back up its claim.
Branca Lessa de Sa
Reporting from Brasília
Flávio Bolsonaro calls for elections to be annulled
Flávio Bolsonaro was visibly angry as he delivered comments outside of the home in Brasília a little earlier.
He said that a lot would need to be "cleared up" before this "sacanagem" - a Brazilian term meaning dirty trick - could be accepted.
Pablo Marçal, an influencer and former mayoral candidate who has been coordinating a social media campaign in support of Bolsonaro, also spoke after leaving the house in Brasilia.
He said the decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court to extend voting hours was a "tragedy".
As a reminder, both sides asked for extensions to voting hours for different reasons - read more here.
We'll bring you more details to explain the fallout - and what could happen next - shortly.
Pascal Fletcher
Latin American Specialist, BBC Monitoring
Many media outlets in Brazil have been describing the result as a "historic turnaround" for Lula.
Lula's victory represented "a historic turnaround in the hardest-fought election race in [Brazil's] history," Brasilia-based daily Correio Braziliense wrote.
Brazilian news magazine Veja noted that Lula had managed to achieve a number of firsts in his country's electoral history: he becomes the first Brazilian politician to win the presidency four times, and also the first candidate to win a run-off vote after finishing second in the earlier round of voting.
Daily O Estado de S. Paulo and other outlets reported on Lula's jubilant supporters celebrating in the central Avenida Paulista of Brazil's largest city, São Paulo.
Image source, Getty ImagesMexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said the people of Brazil had "won"
Leaders from across Latin America are sending congratulations to Lula.
Here's a reminder of the split between left- and right-wing leaders in the region:
Earlier, we brought you photos of jubilant Lula supporters.
However, it's a different story for supporters of Flávio Bolsonaro who were visibly upset at the outcome.
The son of the former president, who is currently under house arrest, has so far refused to recognise Lula's victory.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, ReutersIone Wells
Reporting from Brasília
Image source, Getty ImagesFlávio Bolsonaro was expecting to give a victory speech tonight here in Brasília after winning the first round.
Instead, he just said that what happened was “impossible” and “inexplicable” and said the result should be annulled.
His supporters chanted his name as he left. This lack of recognition of the result could sow a lot of distrust among his supporters.
With his comments tonight, he follows in his father Jair Bolsonaro’s footsteps - he too refused to recognise his election loss in 2022.
Ione Wells
Reporting from Brasília
Huge crowds of press are gathered at the house here in Brasília where Flavio Bolsonaro was watching the result.
The scene was set for a victory party and speech, with a big screen and supporters of his inside.
When it was clear which way the wind was blowing, some of those supporters left early looking despondent and in some cases visibly annoyed.
We are waiting for Flavio Bolsonaro to speak - the big question is whether or not he will accept this result.
Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor
In his victory speech, Lula again stresses that Brazil will "not accept being anyone's backyard".
This has been one of phrases he has repeated time and time again in his campaign.
It refers to the term "America's backyard" - a pithy way to describe the idea in US policy that Latin America should be under the sphere of influence of the United States.
That idea is one that President Donald Trump has enshrined in what he himself has called "Donroe Doctrine" but which has raised hackles in Latin America.
President Lula's defence of Brazil's sovereignty is one of the things which pollsters think won him votes, with voters rejecting what they saw as US interference.
Lula thanks those who coordinated his campaign, as well as the "generosity of Brazilian people", including young people, who he says "went to the streets to defend Brazilian democracy".
People voted because we could convince them that the vote was important for the sovereignty of our country, he tells the crowds.
He says this election was a "loss for negativity, lies".
Image source, Getty Images"Our throats are very tired," Lula begins, with a hoarse voice.
He almost immediately hands over to his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who he says he wants to speak first.
"You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy," Alckmin tells Lula.
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter a short delay, Lula is now speaking in São Paulo.
He is being thronged by supporters trying to take selfies with him.
We'll bring you the key lines from his speech.
We're getting some early pictures of Lula supporters celebrating in Rio de Janeiro.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, Reuters
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Joao Fellet
BBC Brasil, reporting from São Paulo
Image source, Getty ImagesLula's supporters are celebrating intensely, many of them in tears.
Many didn't believe this victory would be possible. People are setting fireworks and singing.
São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista turned into a carnival block on a Sunday night.
Just after the result was declared, Lula was seen celebrating and kissing his wife in a video posted in his WhatsApp community group.
President Lula is expected to give a speech soon from São Paulo, where his team and supporters are gathering to celebrate his victory.
We'll bring you the key lines.
Image source, ReutersIone Wells
Reporting from Brasília
Outside the house where Flávio Bolsonaro was watching the result, some of his supporters are leaving - some looking visibly angry and despondent.
The scene here had been set for a victory party.
