Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the second round of Brazil's presidential election on October 25, 2026, with 51.79% of the vote against 48.21% for Flávio Bolsonaro, according to the Superior Electoral Court cited by The Guardian, becoming the first Brazilian president to reach a fourth term.
The wave of international congratulations arrived in quick succession. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, wrote on social media that the people of Brazil had won and congratulated Lula, as reported by Aristegui Noticias. She was joined by messages from Vladimir Putin, president of Russia; from Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who stressed that the partnership between Europe and Brazil is advancing and called for work toward free and open trade; and from Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney. The electoral commission reported turnout of close to 80.8% with 99.89% of the count completed. For Mexico, the result keeps the two largest economies in Latin America on the same axis of dialogue, a relevant point for the regional integration agenda and for joint positions in forums such as the G20 and BRICS.
Flávio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, did not recognize the result and called for it to be annulled. He questioned the decision by a Supreme Court justice, appointed under a Lula government, to extend voting by two hours over alleged irregularities in the transport of voters, The Guardian reported. The refusal echoes the reaction of his father in 2022, who also did not accept defeat. Lula will take office for his new term on January 5, 2027, and will govern with a Congress that, according to the same coverage, ended up with a record number of right-wing legislators. On the economic front, the country's gross public debt stands at around 83% of GDP, according to data cited by The Guardian, and Donald Trump had not commented on the result as of the close of this article.
The inauguration is scheduled for January 5, 2027; the immediate agenda includes relations with Congress and the new government's fiscal signal. Brazilian debt markets adjusted positions after the result, according to The Guardian. For Mexico, the calendar opens a window for coordination with South America's largest economy in multilateral forums.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.