Brazil election results 2026: Key takeaways from Lula’s historic win

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pulled off a political comeback that no Brazilian presidential candidate has managed in nearly four decades.On Sunday, the 80-year-old leftist president won a record fourth non-consecutive term, overcoming a first-round defeat to right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Brazil’s Lula, Bolsonaro draw thousands to election-eve rallieslist 2 of 3Trump’s beef tariff pause sparks anger among US rancherslist 3 of 3Lula holds off far right with victory in Brazil presidential electionend of listLula won more than 51 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48 percent. Some 98.76 percent of the ballots were counted when electoral authorities declared him the winner.Sunday’s results were far from certain, keeping Brazilians on edge until the very end. Bolsonaro and Lula had been virtually tied in the polls in the lead-up to the election.A last-minute decision to extend voting hours sparked accusations of election interference and questions about whether the result could face legal challenges.Already, Senator Bolsonaro has pledged to annul the vote, crediting the extended hours ...