Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential run-off on Sunday 25 October 2026, according to Al Jazeera, which reports that electoral authorities declared him the winner with 98.76 per cent of ballots counted, and whose 26 October report says Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court called the race for him shortly after 9pm Brasília time. The outlet puts his share at just over 51 per cent, against about 48 per cent for Flávio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator. A 27 October report credited to Al Jazeera staff, AFP and Reuters gives totals of more than 64.25 million for Lula and 59.83 million for Bolsonaro, a margin of more than 4.4 million. These figures come from the count as reported, and the articles do not describe them as final.
The Run-off and the Voting-Hours Dispute
Neither candidate reached the 50 per cent needed to win outright in the first round on 4 October, when Bolsonaro took 47.03 per cent and Lula 45.16 per cent, Al Jazeera reports.
On run-off day, according to Al Jazeera, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling stations that had not yet closed to stay open until 7pm, two hours later than planned, after petitions from both campaigns, which sought the extension for different reasons. Bolsonaro said the change disadvantaged his supporters, and Al Jazeera’s earlier report says Mr Zanin later clarified that stations that had already closed would stay shut, leaving some voters turned away; Bolsonaro also accused the court of altering the rules mid-game; the report notes that Lula appointed Mr Zanin to the court in 2023. Pedro Burgos, a professor at the Brazilian institute Insper, analysed the extension and found that it produced about 35,000 additional votes, less than 0.03 per cent of the total, Al Jazeera says.
Reactions After the Result
After the result was announced, Bolsonaro told supporters that what had happened on election day was “unacceptable”, said it was impossible to recognise the result and said he would seek an annulment, according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera adds that Folha de S Paulo reported his advisers and allies had persuaded him to drop the annulment bid, but that it remained unclear whether he would pursue a legal challenge.
Valdemar Costa Neto, leader of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, issued a statement saying: “We recognise the presidential election results.” He added that the issues raised needed to be properly clarified.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the vote looked “rigged”, while also saying he did not take sides, Al Jazeera reports. The outlet describes his claims as unsubstantiated. Lula, it says, will be sworn in on 5 January 2027.
Why It Matters
In our view, the next few weeks will show whether the dispute stays a political argument or becomes a formal court case. The margin is as reported by Al Jazeera, and the extension estimate is Pedro Burgos’s analysis, as reported by Al Jazeera. Any court filing, the formal declaration and certification of the result, and the Liberal Party’s stated position will be the points to watch.
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