Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva achieved an unprecedented comeback in Brazil's electoral history this Sunday, winning the presidential runoff with 51.78% of the votes, compared to 48.22% for far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, according to the official results from the Superior Electoral Court with 99.98% of the votes counted.
The difference between both candidates exceeded four million votes: 64,241,049 votes for Lula compared to 59,818,719 for Bolsonaro. With this victory, the 80-year-old leftist will govern Brazil for the fourth time, in what El País described as "a breath of fresh air for the global left."
The achievement is unprecedented since the constitutional reform of 1988 established the runoff system: no candidate who lost the first round had ever managed to overturn the result in the runoff. Lula finished approximately 2 percentage points behind Bolsonaro in the first round on October 4—45.13% compared to 47.06%—with a disadvantage of about 2.3 million votes. In the second round, not only did he close that gap, but he also won by more than 3.5 percentage points.
The key to the comeback was his victory in Minas Gerais, the second largest electoral district in the country. In the first round, he had received 43.33% there compared to 48.24% for his rival; this Sunday, he won with over 50% against Bolsonaro's 49%. Since 1988, no candidate who wins in that state has lost the national election. Lula also reduced voter abstention from 21.08% to 19.21%, despite the fact that historically, runoff elections have seen higher absenteeism.
The day was not without tensions: a judge extended the polling station closures by two hours at the request of Lula's campaign, which cited transportation issues in various parts of the country. At Bolsonaro's headquarters in Brasilia, there was total desolation; the main leaders of bolsonarismo remained shut inside a tent without making statements. According to El País, some supporters left the headquarters "amid shouts and curses."
In contrast, thousands of people celebrated in Cinelandia Square, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, with fireworks and music. Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro was among the first to react: "Fascism has been halted in Latin America in Brazil," he wrote on X.
The outcome has direct implications for Cuba. Under Lula's government, Brazil has become an essential South American ally of the Cuban regime: sent 48 tons of powdered milk in July, announced in March a package of more than 20,000 tons of food, and donated medicines in May to treat nearly 1,000 patients.
A victory for Flávio Bolsonaro would have meant the return of his father's line, who during his term (2019-2022) broke the tradition of voting at the UN against the embargo on Cuba.
The bilateral relationship, however, is not free of friction. Cuba owes Brazil 676 million dollars linked to loans for the construction of the Port of Mariel, with payments overdue since May 2018. Additionally, nearly 17,000 Cubans applied for asylum in Brazil between January and May 2026, reflecting the exodus caused by the structural crisis of the dictatorship.
In Washington, President Donald Trump simply stated this Sunday: "I don’t want to get into that matter, but we are watching." Lula's victory marks the end of a campaign overshadowed by former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison by the Supreme Federal Court for leading an attempted coup, and who designated his son Flávio as a candidate from house arrest.
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