Lula da Silva wins fourth term as Brazil's president

Brazil's incumbent president, 80-year-old Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has won a fourth presidential term after defeating opponent Flávio Bolsonaro in the October 25 runoff election. With 99.81% of ballots counted, Lula secured 51.76% of the vote versus Bolsonaro's 48.24%, overturning a first-round deficit where Bolsonaro led with 47.03% against Lula's 45.16%. This marks the first time since Brazil's 1988 democratic restoration that a candidate has won a runoff after trailing in the first round. Lula previously served as president from 2003 to 2010 and again since 2023. His 2017 corruption conviction was annulled in 2021, allowing him to run. He has also taken a balanced stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, co-authoring a Brazil-China peace plan that was never implemented.