BRASILIA — Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term as Brazil's president with 51.79 percent of the vote, defeating right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. He is the first president since Brazil's return to civilian rule in 1985 to be elected after initially losing the first round.
Lula told supporters his victory represented "a loss for negativity, lies" and declared "long live democracy." The outcome reversed the first round, held Oct. 4, when Bolsonaro led with 47 percent to Lula's 45 percent.
Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to recognize the election, calling for its annulment—a stance that mirrors his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who also challenged past results. World leaders have extended congratulations to Lula.
Bolsonaro's supporters have questioned Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin's decision to extend voting nationwide by two hours, alleging bias because Zanin previously served as Lula's lawyer. Both campaigns, however, had requested the extension. Lula's team cited insufficient buses for voters in São Paulo and Bahia to reach polling stations, while Bolsonaro's campaign pointed to heavy rain in southern regions and São Paulo.
Kássio Nunes Marques, president of the Supreme Electoral Court, confirmed Lula's victory. Marques, appointed by Jair Bolsonaro, said the voting extension did not alter the outcome. The final margin of 4.4 million votes makes any formal challenge difficult to sustain.
Lula's campaign gained momentum by focusing on voter turnout, resulting in the largest drop in abstention between the two rounds of a presidential election since 1989. Bolsonaro described the result as "inexplicable."
Lula, a former metal worker, celebrated in São Paulo and pledged his fourth term would be the best in the country's history, saying, "It will be the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people." He assumes office with a deeply divided nation, a hostile Congress populated by Bolsonaro allies, and an opponent unwilling to accept the election's legitimacy.
Brazilian markets declined sharply on the result. The São Paulo stock exchange opened down 15 percent, prompting a brief trading suspension before a slight recovery. Interest rate futures rose as investors assessed Lula's fiscal policies.
