Lula wins fourth term in Brazil, but what will Congress look like?

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected on Sunday, October 25, securing 51.7% of the vote against 48.2% for Flávio Bolsonaro, a result that distances Latin America's largest economy from Washington. Lula's victory breaks a regional trend of center-right, Trump-aligned candidates winning elections, and keeps Brazil's 2.6 trillion dollar GDP independent from US influence despite tariff pressures. This marks his fourth non-consecutive term, starting January 5, 2027, and is the first time since 1985 that a second-place first-round candidate won the runoff. The 81-year-old veteran politician, who rose from union leader in the 1970s and founded the Workers' Party, previously served from 2003 to 2010. After a corruption conviction was annulled in 2021, he defeated Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 and now faces a likely final term.