Lula's Historic Brazil Win: Record Votes, Rio Reversal
Lula da Silva won a historic victory in Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro by a decisive margin. The result marks an unprecedented turnaround and a sweeping win for the Workers' Party (PT) candidate. Lula secured over 64.2 million votes, the most ever for a candidate in Brazilian history, surpassing his own 2022 record of 60 million. He beat Bolsonaro by about 4.5 million votes, widening his lead from 1.8 to 3.58 percentage points, while voter turnout rose to 80.78%. The victory included a reversal in 213 municipalities, notably Rio de Janeiro, where Lula won 51.54% after losing the first round. Minas Gerais state again predicted the winner, backing Lula with 50.43% in the runoff.