Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has clinched a historic fourth term in office following a razor-thin runoff triumph over conservative Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, with official results confirming an unassailable lead.
With 100 percent of ballots counted, Brazil's electoral court announced that the veteran leftist leader secured 51.7 percent of the vote against 48.2 percent for Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The declaration sparked jubilation among supporters gathered inside and outside the Sao Paulo hotel where the soon-to-be 81-year-old president tracked the tally alongside First Lady Rosangela da Silva, key allies, and close friends.
Lula's triumph marks the first time since Brazil's military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the runner-up in a first-round election went on to capture the presidency.
Bolsonaro had led the October 4, opening round with 47 percent against Lula's 45 percent—a gap of 2.2 million votes—before Lula overhauled the deficit in the decisive second-round showdown.
His new term commences on January 5, 2027.
Historic comeback
The victory caps an extraordinary trajectory for the veteran trade union leader who helped establish the Workers' Party in the 1970s.
After three unsuccessful presidential bids, Lula won his first mandate in 2002 and secured re-election in 2006.
In 2018, he was barred from running and served 580 days in prison before Brazil's Supreme Court annulled his convictions after evidence surfaced proving judicial bias.
He returned to power in 2022 after defeating Jair Bolsonaro.
Following his setback in the opening round this month, Lula overhauled his campaign machinery.
He actively mobilised young voters, urged millions of citizens onto the streets to safeguard democratic institutions, raised public concerns over another Bolsonaro administration, and championed domestic sovereignty.
The announcement followed an evening of heightened tension at polling stations across the nation after a last-minute Supreme Court decision extended voting hours by two hours, a measure that may provoke legal challenges from the Bolsonaro campaign.
Sunday's milestone triumph is widely seen as the crowning victory of Lula's lifelong political journey.
Bolsonaro challenges result
The milestone victory was immediately contested late on Sunday when Bolsonaro announced that his Liberal Party (PL) legal team will formally petition to annul the election.
Addressing supporters following the TSE declaration, Bolsonaro launched a scathing attack against the Federal Supreme Court (STF) over its last-minute ruling extending polling hours nationwide by two hours until 7 pm Brasilia time.
"We will engage our legal team and seek to have these elections annulled," Bolsonaro said.
"I will not accept that the rules of the game have been arbitrarily changed—once again—by Lula's friends on the Federal Supreme Court."
Bolsonaro directed his criticism at STF Justice Cristiano Zanin, who issued the blanket extension following emergency petitions regarding transport blockades and severe weather, pointing out that Zanin previously served as Lula's personal defence lawyer prior to his bench appointment.
The PL challenge is set to trigger intense legal battles in Brasilia as electoral authorities prepare to certify the results.
