Lula wins Brazil runoff as Flávio Bolsonaro says he will seek annulment
Brazil’s electoral court announced a fourth term for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after Sunday’s presidential runoff. His opponent disputes the extension of voting hours and says he will seek to overturn the result.
Brazil’s electoral court announced Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election after the presidential runoff on Sunday, 25 October 2026, with 51.8% of the vote to Flávio Bolsonaro’s 48.2%. Bolsonaro refused to concede and said he would seek to annul the result, putting the decision to extend voting hours at the centre of a potential challenge.
With all votes counted, Lula’s lead was nearly 4.4 million votes, CBS News reported. The victory gives him a fourth presidential term. CBS said the term is due to begin on 5 January 2027.
Why Bolsonaro disputes the voting extension
Bolsonaro said it was ‘impossible to recognise the results’ and that he would request annulment, according to AFP remarks reported by Hindustan Times. He called the extension of voting hours ‘unacceptable’ and a ‘dirty trick’. The reports establish his stated intention to challenge the result; it was not immediately clear whether he had formally filed a request.
The vote was extended by two hours after disruptions affected polling places. CBS News reported that Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polls to remain open three minutes before their scheduled closing time. The decision followed requests from both candidates, according to CBS and the AFP-based Hindustan Times account.
Hindustan Times reported that Lula sought more time after buses used to carry voters were withdrawn from service in several cities, potentially preventing people from reaching polling stations. Bolsonaro had also requested an extension in some areas because of heavy rain. He later cited the decision to extend voting as grounds to contest the outcome.
How the runoff reversed the first-round result
The result reversed the candidates’ first-round positions earlier in October. CBS News reported that Bolsonaro led that vote with 47%, against 45% for Lula. Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated in the 2022 presidential election.
Bolsonaro supporter Rodrigo Valentim, a businessman quoted by CBS News, said he feared another Lula government would harm Brazil’s economy. His response reflected the divisions surrounding a close runoff whose result Bolsonaro now says he will contest.
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Sources and context
- Brazil's Lula clinches election victory as Bolsonaro rejects resultsEuronews
- Lula wins 4h term as Brazil's president, beating Flávio Bolsonaro in runoff, but Bolsonaro rejects resultsCBS News
- Bolsonaro refuses to accept Lula's victory, seeks annulment of Brazil electionHindustan Times, reporting AFP attribution
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.