For the first time since the return of the presidential election to direct universal suffrage in 1989, a candidate who finished second in the first round won the second round in Brazil.
With 51.8% of the votes against 48.2% for Flávio Bolsonaro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secures a fourth term at the head of Brazil, at the age of 80. He stresses the historical nature of this victory by comparing himself to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only American president elected four times. “In the world, we have Roosevelt, who was elected four times, but who could not finish his term because he suffered from a very serious illness,” he recalls, before adding with humor and in defiance of his age and his illness: “Now, little Lula is going to finish this term by running faster than any of you.”
His rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro who was jailed after being sentenced to 27 years for attempted coup, refused to concede defeat and announced his intention to seek the annulment of the election. This challenge prolongs tensions around Brazilian democracy, four years after Jair Bolsonaro refused to accept his defeat against Lula.
In his victory speech, delivered on the night of October 25 in São Paulo, which we translate and comment on here in full, Lula identifies two adversaries.
Domestically, the Bolsonarism, which he associates with militias, lies and denialism: “This election was a defeat of denialism. It was a defeat of lies.”
On the international plane, he denounces interference by major American digital platforms in the electoral process. His campaign had notably accused Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, of favoring his opponent. “We cannot accept that gigantic companies make billions and billions without paying a single tax in this country, while trying to steer the electoral result.”
This double confrontation gives his victory a reach beyond the borders of Brazil. Lula elevates his country to the defense of democracy on an international scale, even going so far as to compare popular mobilization to a true military force. “I doubt that Russia, China or the United States possess an army as victorious as the army of democracy of this country,” he concludes his speech, before praising “the soldiers and the female soldiers of our army.”
As Latin America has for nearly two years seen a surge of the right and the far-right, marked by Javier Milei’s party victory in the mid-term Argentine elections (October 26, 2025), by José Antonio Kast in the Chilean presidential election (December 14, 2025) and by Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia (June 21, 2026), Lula’s reelection constitutes an early setback to this regional dynamic.
It represents a setback for Donald Trump, whose administration is seeking to reaffirm American primacy on the continent, notably through the so-called “Donroe” doctrine. In the face of this offensive, Lula reaffirms Brazil’s sovereignty. “This country does not accept being anyone’s backyard,” he declares, before claiming technological independence from the two great rival powers. “I do not want to remain dependent on Chinese or American artificial intelligence; I want to create a Brazilian AI.” This ambition reflects Brazil’s refusal to participate in a bipolar logic dominated by the US-China rivalry, and its will to chart an autonomous path.
Through this improvised speech, typical of his charismatic political style, Lula frames his victory within a broader confrontation about democracy and sovereignty. “We want to be a central country in political and economic decisions and in the pursuit of peace,” he asserts.
An ambition that he will now have to translate into policy facing a Congress largely dominated by conservative forces, and in an atmosphere of deep distrust toward democratic institutions. The Bolsonarist camp’s refusal to recognize its defeat, combined with the support of its Trumpist allies, looms a threat of a new assault on the legitimacy of the vote, potentially leading to a major institutional crisis. For an extreme right that is now defending its political survival, the temptation to push through could be greater than ever.
Happy is the president who can count on a vice president who offers the guarantees of quality, integrity in conduct and loyalty that I find in Alckmin.
I want to thank the elderly. I saw today many scenes of people being carried by their grandchildren to go and vote; people who have difficulty moving, people with cancer or other illnesses.
And these people went to vote because we managed to convince them that their vote was very important to guarantee democracy in our country.
I want to thank society as a whole.
What won, in reality, was what we knew we had to triumph: the fight against interference coming from outside into inside, through digital platforms.
It is not possible that we do not realize that crime in the digital world must be treated in the same way as crime in real life.
We cannot accept that gigantic companies earn billions and billions, without paying a single tax in this country, while trying to steer the electoral outcome.
This election was a defeat for negationism. It was a defeat for lies.
And I must tell you that, every time I participated in a debate, I felt embarrassed, because I have debated with many people, I have participated in numerous elections, I meet annually the members of the G20, the BRICS, the G7, I meet the world’s main presidents every year, we discuss major international issues, but I never would have thought I would face a true representative of the power of militias in this country.
Never would I have imagined it. I never imagined that a person could lie so much, show so much brazenness, as if she didn’t have the slightest bit of humanity in her.
Everything seems false.
I say this because what I saw during this round, during these elections, in all the Brazilian states, but above all what I saw yesterday on Paulista Avenue, is something unbelievable.
We had never seen that, not only by the number of people present, but also by their enthusiasm.
I was deeply moved, I felt like asking for the independence anthem to be sung.
I stood dumbfounded watching the enthusiasm of the people singing: “Ou a patria permanece livre, ou morreremos pelo Brasil” (either the homeland stays free, or we will die for Brazil), in a demonstration that this country will not accept being anyone’s backyard.
As my favorite singer Chico Buarque de Hollanda would say, he liked our government because our government did not speak harshly to Bolivia while speaking softly to the United States.
We spoke to everyone in the same way.
I want to thank the comrade who is here, Janones. I embrace you, general.
He played an extraordinary role in this campaign, daily lifting the spirits of our troops morning, afternoon and night.
These elections taught me many lessons.
I can assure you that we will change the way we govern this country.
We will ensure that the people participate more in our decisions, and digital communication will take a very important place in my government.
I have already received a mobile phone from my commander Rafael, governor of Piauí, and I am already learning to communicate.
And you can be sure that, henceforth, I will speak a lot with the Brazilian people, several times a day, directly.
I will not allow my words to be interpreted by journalists: I will say for myself what I think and what I do.
During these elections, one of the things that most motivated me was our will to prevent these people from winning to privatize our SUS.
Once again, I want to say that, as soon as we win the elections, we have no more enemies.
I must govern for 215 million people.
I must govern for all citizens, but during my next term I will take very seriously the policy of taking care of our dear elderly people, who are the source of our existence.”
“Women will be treated with much more respect.
All religions will be respected on an equal footing.
I have no preference for any religion; my preference is for respecting the faith of the Brazilian people, guaranteeing full religious freedom so that everyone can practice their faith freely in a secular state.
I want to tell you that I will continue to lead the revolution of Brazilian education.
We must teach more mathematics, more engineering, because I don’t want to remain dependent on Chinese or American artificial intelligence: I want to create a Brazilian AI.
We must exploit the energy potential of a country that is perhaps the one with the greatest capacity for renewable energy production, in order to attract here the data centers needed to store our data in Brazil.
We will have to reserve part of these data centers for Brazilian information.
We want to make this country stop being a developing country and become a developed country.
Massive investment in the digital economy, the green economy and the creative economy will be required.
We want to be a central country in political decisions, economic decisions and in decisions in favor of peace.
We will show the world how to conduct climate policy in this country.
This year, for the first time, we managed to reduce deforestation for four consecutive years.
That is why I want to thank our comrade Marina and our comrade Capobianco, who did extraordinary work.
And we will continue to lead a revolution in health.
I am convinced that very soon Brazil will be the country in the world with the highest percentage of cancer care.
We have our dear comrade Ludhmila who runs our intelligent hospital, funded by our comrade Dilma Rousseff, BRICS president, in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
And we will have fifteen intelligent intensive care units in this country, to avoid people dying for lack of treatment or time.”
This country is ready to be built.
This country has a Constitution.
No one is obliged to love the elected president, but he has been elected to govern for everyone, in respect of the Constitution.
I do not agree when some say: “Lula will have a lot of difficulty governing because Congress is more conservative.”
It was not I who chose Congress, the people chose it, and it is with him that I will work and make the necessary measures pass.
I am very proud to be the only metalworker without a university degree to have been democratically elected to power four times.
In the world, we have Roosevelt, who was elected four times, but who could not finish his term because he suffered from a very grave illness.
Now, little Lula will finish this term running faster than any of you, thanks to the respect and affection I have received from the people, especially Brazilian women.
I owe you this.
I still think that God has been very generous with me, because there are so many better prepared people, with more degrees, who studied more than me.
I was chosen by God, I always feel that God’s finger rests on my head.
I want to thank God and all of you for the strength you have given me.
It is important to know that I have never won an election in the first round, but I have never lost any in the second round.
I have two months ahead to discuss the government.
I want to meet entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, women…
I will also meet the Corinthians, because the Corinthians have still lost, my old friend! But where are we going with this?
I am 80 years old and I will be 81 the day after tomorrow, the 27th.
I want to make a commitment: I will accomplish the best term a president has ever carried out in the history of this country.
I will devote twenty-four hours a day to making this country the one everyone dreams of.
The federal government has never had responsibility for public security because the 1988 Constitution delegated all of this responsibility to the states, but it is now proven that the states cannot cope with the situation.
We will now intervene to restore to workers the tranquility they need.
To the working people, we will bring protection. To criminals, we will reserve prison.
I kiss you all!
I will now go to Paulista Avenue.
And I want to take advantage of the presence of my general here to say this: I doubt that Russia, China or the United States possess an army as victorious as the army of democracy of this country.
I greet the soldiers and female soldiers of our army!