Lula defeats Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential runoff, reversing a first-round deficit to defeat Flávio Bolsonaro with 64.2 million votes against 59.8 million. Lula promised to govern for all 215 million Brazilians, while Bolsonaro contested the result. Lula overcame a 2.2 million first-round gap by gaining 10.3 million votes in the second round, while Bolsonaro added 3.7 million. Lower abstention and fewer blank or null ballots boosted valid votes by 4.7 million. At 81, Lula becomes Brazil's first four-time popularly elected president. Bolsonaro called the result "unacceptable," citing a Supreme Court decision extending voting hours by two hours, though his campaign had requested extensions in several states. The Attorney General's Office confirmed the electoral process was properly supervised. Lula also prioritized regulating big tech companies and public security.