Lula Re-elected; Inauguration Moved to January 5, 2027 Under Constitutional Amendment

Overview

• Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidential runoff with about 51.7% of valid votes, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the election decided on Sunday, October 25.
• Emenda Constitucional nº 111, passed in 2021, will be applied for the first time to this cycle and sets the presidential inauguration for January 5, 2027 with governors sworn in on January 6.
• Because Lula is the incumbent, there will be no formal handover to an opposing administration and he can begin reorganizing his cabinet and naming ministers in the weeks before the new term.
• The Justiça Eleitoral calendar requires formal diplomas for elected officials by December 18, after which ceremonial and legal steps toward the January 5 oath before Congress proceed.
• Traditional inauguration rites remain intact — parade, oath in Congress, signing the Termo de Posse and speech — while legislative terms for deputies and senators continue to start on February 1, 2027.