Lula wins fourth term in dramatic Brazil election comeback

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term as Brazil’s president, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a dramatic reversal after finishing second in the first round. Lula said the result was a victory for democracy; Bolsonaro has rejected it and called for the election to be annulled, though the challenge appears unlikely to succeed.

Lula received 51.79% of the vote, beating Bolsonaro by 4.4 million votes. The Supreme Electoral Court confirmed the result and said a two-hour extension to voting did not affect the outcome; both campaigns had sought extra time for voters facing transport problems or heavy rain. Turnout rose sharply in the second round, while markets fell after the result, and Lula now faces a divided country and a Congress with many Bolsonaro allies.