Overview
- Brazil's national electoral court declared Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the winner late Sunday, reporting about 51.8% of the vote to Flávio Bolsonaro's 48.2%, a margin near 4.4 million votes.
- A Supreme Court judge ordered voting extended by two hours after complaints about blocked transport, a decision that both campaigns had sought and that Flávio Bolsonaro now cites in his bid to annul the result.
- Turnout was higher than expected and abstention hit historic lows, a surge that Lula and analysts say delivered the late comeback that overturned his first-round deficit.
- Lula takes office with limited room to maneuver because the Liberal Party and allied conservatives won large gains in Congress, including 121 seats in the lower chamber and strong Senate representation.
- International leaders quickly congratulated Lula and analysts judge full annulment unlikely, but the result sets up immediate legal fights, tense domestic polarization, and hard choices on debt, interest rates and security that will affect everyday Brazilians.