Breaking: Lula Wins Fourth Term as Brazil’s President in Knife-Edge Election

Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been elected to an unprecedented fourth presidential term, narrowly defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested election.

According to Brazil’s official election body, Lula secured 51.75 per cent of the votes, with 98.76 per cent of ballots counted, while Bolsonaro trailed with 48.25 per cent.

Bolsonaro, the son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, had won the first round of voting earlier this month before facing Lula in the decisive contest.

The victory marks the first time in Brazil’s presidential election history that a candidate who lost in the first round has gone on to win the presidency.

Lula, 80, had framed the election as a battle over national identity and Brazil’s independence, describing it as a matter of “sovereignty”.

During the campaign, he said voters faced a choice between someone who kissed the Brazilian flag and someone who kissed the American flag, in an apparent reference to the contrasting political positions of the two candidates.

Brazil’s Constitution permits presidents to serve two consecutive four-year terms but allows them to return to office after sitting out a term, with no limit on the number of times they can be re-elected.

Lula first contested the presidency in 1989, losing three elections before securing victory in 2002. He won re-election in 2006 and returned to power in 2022.

The latest election marks his seventh presidential contest.