Lula's comeback: fewer abstentions, more votes, and a win over Bolsonaro

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff, reversing a first-round deficit to win with 64.2 million votes (51.79%) against 59.8 million (48.21%), a margin of 4.4 million votes. Lula gained 10.3 million additional votes between rounds, nearly three times Bolsonaro's growth, with reduced abstention and fewer blank/null ballots adding about 4.66 million valid votes. He flipped results in 211 municipalities, including Rio de Janeiro, and won Minas Gerais, the only state to change hands. The victory marks Lula's largest-ever presidential vote total, surpassing his 2022 record, and was driven by strong gains in the Northeast and improved turnout across 87% of cities.