Lula Wins Brazil Runoff as Bolsonaro Challenges Results and Trump Calls Vote 'Rigged'

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Sunday's presidential runoff, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and setting up a fourth non-consecutive term that is expected to begin in January 2027.

Lula received more than 64 million votes to Bolsonaro's just under 60 million, a margin of nearly four percent. Bolsonaro has said he intends to seek an annulment of the results following a last-minute extension of voting hours that both campaigns had requested, though it remains unclear what legal path he could pursue. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is currently serving a 27-year sentence over a coup attempt and unsuccessfully challenged his own election loss four years ago.

President Trump suggested without providing evidence that the election appeared rigged, telling reporters the tabulation looked suspicious to him. Despite his comments, Brazilian institutions have shown early signs of accepting the outcome. The head of Brazil's electoral authority, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Jair Bolsonaro, acknowledged Lula's win on Sunday.

Analysts say Lula's victory was driven largely by an additional 14.1 million voters who turned out in the runoff, many of whom had abstained or backed other candidates in the first round. Roughly three-quarters of those votes are believed to have gone to Lula. The runoff saw the lowest abstention rate on record, a reversal from the first round, which had set a record for non-voters.

Much of this late mobilization has been credited to a social media campaign led by lawmaker André Janones, who built a WhatsApp network called 'Lula's Army' with nearly 11 million members to rally support. The push also pressured Meta, which owns WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, after Brazil's top electoral court ordered the company to ensure equal treatment of both candidates following complaints of bias favoring Bolsonaro.

Turnout rose broadly across the country, including in wealthier urban centers, but Lula's largest gains came from lower-income municipalities where his support base was already strong. It was the first time since 1989 that a candidate who trailed in the first round went on to win the runoff.