Why Brazilians see Lula's win as a rebuke to US meddling

Oct 26, 2026, 5:35 AM4 min

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defied polls, precedent and global anti-incumbent sentiment to be elected to a fourth term in a run-off. With every vote counted, Brazil's electoral court says Lula won 51.8 per cent, a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over Flávio Bolsonaro, who is refusing to concede. So with a hostile Congress and a politically divided country, how much of his social welfare agenda can Lula deliver?

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defied polls, precedent and global anti-incumbent sentiment to be elected to a fourth term in a run-off.
With every vote counted, Brazil's electoral court says Lula won 51.8 per cent, a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over Flávio Bolsonaro, who is refusing to concede.
So with a hostile Congress and a politically divided country, how much of his social welfare agenda can Lula deliver?

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