Flávio Bolsonaro's Liberal Party recognizes Lula's win; Flávio does not concede

Lula returns for a fourth term after Brazil’s runoff victory

On Monday, Flávio Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party recognized incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory in Sunday’s presidential runoff. Party president Valdemar Costa Neto said in a statement that the results were recognized but believed “questions raised about the vote” still needed clarification. Lula’s victory returned him to a fourth presidential term, but Flávio Bolsonaro had not formally conceded.

Lula won just over 51% of the valid votes, about 64.2 million, while Flávio Bolsonaro received more than 48%, or nearly 59.8 million. The result marked a major comeback for Lula, who had trailed Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round. NPR said the outcome put the brakes on a run of right-wing electoral victories in Latin America.

Lula’s margin depended on reaching voters across demographic and geographic groups. He gained more than 10 million additional votes compared with the first round, aided by increased turnout and support from people who had backed other candidates or had previously stayed away from the polls. The coalition included younger, older and working-class voters.

Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, said Lula had learned important lessons about communicating with voters, particularly through social media. The president, who had relied more heavily on traditional media, embraced a more digital campaign in the final weeks.

“Part of that has to do with communication, and part of that therefore has to do with Lula, setting aside the traditional media and becoming more digital,” Vidal said.

Much of that shift was credited to André Janones, a congressman from the bellwether state of Minas Gerais who helped direct Lula’s online campaign. Janones used Instagram and WhatsApp to reach younger voters and mobilize supporters. His WhatsApp channel, dubbed “Lula’s Army,” attracted over 10 million followers. In an election-night Instagram post, Janones wrote, “Nothing is more powerful than when the people unite.”

Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, described the scale of Lula’s victory: “No wonder pollsters said a Lula victory was almost impossible.” He added, “This was a nationwide victory, a systemic victory — from top to bottom, and from left to right.” Vidal said the decisive margin gave Lula a mandate to govern but the next four years would be challenging. Flávio Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party made significant gains in Congress, leaving Lula facing a conservative opposition and a deeply divided electorate.

On Sunday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered polling stations to remain open for two additional hours, until 7 p.m. The order followed an appeal by Lula’s campaign citing public transportation disruptions. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign also requested an extension, citing heavy rain in southern Brazil.

Bolsonaro initially said he would seek to annul the election results, citing alleged irregularities that included a last-minute extension of voting hours. In a video posted Monday, he shifted his approach and said he would seek to disqualify Lula’s victory over alleged abuses of political and economic power.

“The law must apply to everyone,” Bolsonaro said. “The competition must be fair and equal, which did not happen.” He provided no evidence for the claim.

In the same video, Bolsonaro said Brazil’s Federal Police had ordered him to surrender his passports after he visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasília. “I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I’m also prohibited from leaving the country,” he said. Bolsonaro said the order was based on remarks by his brother Eduardo, who lives in the U.S., suggesting that Flávio should leave Brazil if he lost the election. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the passport order in connection with a separate investigation. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in the 2022 coup attempt against Lula.

Major-city gains, including in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, helped Lula overcome his first-round defeat. Victory celebrations rang out across Brazil on Sunday night. Near downtown Rio de Janeiro, supporters hugged, shouted and sang the national anthem.

In his victory speech in São Paulo, Lula singled out young people who had helped mobilize support for his campaign. “I wanted to thank the Brazilian people for the generosity they have shown me for a long time,” he said. “And in this second round, I want to thank the Brazilian youth for their generosity in taking to the streets. They took to the streets to defend democracy in the country.”

At a busy polling place in one of Brasília’s sprawling suburbs, 17-year-old Brisa Pereira cast her first vote. Pereira said Lula’s journey from poor factory worker to president had inspired her. She also wanted to send a message to Trump about what she described as his push to dominate Latin America.

“It’s not the ’90s anymore. We have rights, and Donald Trump can’t speak for all of America,” Pereira said.

President Donald Trump questioned the election’s legitimacy when speaking to reporters Monday. “I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election,” he said. Trump offered no evidence of fraud.