Lula da Silva wins historic fourth term as Brazil's president

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a historic fourth term on Sunday, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff election. The defeated candidate, an ally of US President Donald Trump, announced he will contest the result in court. Lula, 80, secured over 51% of the vote, a result that defies a rightward trend across Latin America. Bolsonaro, trailing by roughly 4.4 million votes, cited a Supreme Court decision extending voting hours as grounds for challenging the election. The campaign was dominated by concerns over the cost of living, crime, and corruption. The victory marks the first time a second-place first-round finisher has won Brazil's presidency since 1989. Lula's win is a setback for the Bolsonaro political movement and carries international implications, as his foreign policy emphasizes ties with China and the Global South amid tensions with Washington.