Lula's win over Bolsonaro draws global attention as vote extension sparks confusion

International media highlighted Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff, noting the confusion caused by Supreme Court Minister Cristiano Zanin's decision to extend voting hours. Lula won his fourth term with approximately 51.7% of valid votes against 48.2% for Bolsonaro, marking an unprecedented comeback since Brazil's re-democratization as no second-place first-round candidate had previously won a presidential runoff. Outlets like The Washington Post, Reuters, and El País framed the result as interrupting a regional right-wing electoral streak and a setback for Donald Trump's influence in Latin America. The coverage also detailed the electoral turmoil after Zanin's ruling to extend voting until 7 p.m., which arrived at some polling stations after they had closed, prompting the electoral court to temporarily suspend vote counting and raising the possibility of legal challenges from Bolsonaro's campaign.