Lula turns first-round setback into a fourth presidential election victory

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured another presidential election victory in Brazil, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro after a closely fought campaign, according to the BBC. The result marks Lula’s fourth win in a presidential election and extends a political career that has made him the dominant figure on Brazil’s left for decades. The path to victory was far from assured. Bolsonaro led in the first round on 4 October, and many observers doubted Lula could reverse the result in only three weeks. His campaign gathered momentum through street demonstrations and a major social-media push, helping him overcome the early deficit in the run-off. Lula previously served two terms from January 2003 to December 2010 and returned to office in January 2023. The report says his next term is due to begin on 5 January 2027. It will start against a difficult political backdrop, with significant constraints at home and abroad and a US administration led by Donald Trump that is seen as less aligned with Lula’s approach. The BBC describes Brazil as the region’s only major South American country not governed by a right-wing leader. Lula is widely regarded as friendly toward China, while Bolsonaro had pledged to bring Brazil closer to Washington. During the campaign, Lula warned the United States against interfering and said Brazil would not become “anyone’s backyard.” His win is expected to be welcomed by environmentalists who had feared that a Bolsonaro victory could strengthen the influence of Brazil’s agribusiness and mining sectors. The report also notes Brazil’s oil wealth and extensive rare-earth reserves, factors that make the country an important player in regional and global competition.