Lula wins fourth term as Brazil’s President
DÍLI, 26 October 2026 (TATOLI) – Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s presidential runoff election.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court reported that Lula secured 51.8% of valid votes, while Bolsonaro received 48.2%.
Lula’s victory followed a closely contested campaign in which he placed second in the first round, receiving 45.16% of the vote, compared with Flávio Bolsonaro’s 47.03%.
The 81-year-old has now won Brazil’s presidency for a fourth time, following his previous two consecutive terms from January 2003 to December 2010 and his return to office in January 2023.
Lula is scheduled to begin his fourth, non-consecutive presidential term on January 5, 2027.
Lula rose to prominence in Brazilian politics during the 1970s through his leadership in the trade union movement before helping establish the Workers’ Party.
World leaders and prominent figures from around the world have congratulated Lula on his victory over Bolsonaro.
In January 2023, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta attended Lula’s inauguration for his third term as Brazil’s president.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Brazil, Ramos-Horta described the country as one of Timor-Leste’s most important partners.
“Not many world leaders stood with Lula when he was humiliated and jailed. I was one of the few to denounce the manipulation of Brazilian Justice by politicized “judges” and stood in solidarity with Lula,” Ramos-Horta said in a statement following Lula’s election as Brazil’s president in 2022.
Timor-Leste and Brazil share a strong commitment to multilateral cooperation, respect for international law, peaceful conflict resolution and the promotion of a fairer global order.
As members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and partners in South-South cooperation, Brazil and Timor-Leste can strengthen bilateral ties and work together to support the broader interests of developing countries.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 204th anniversary of Brazil’s independence on September 7, 2026, Ramos-Horta welcomed Brazil’s growing engagement with Southeast Asia and expressed his full support for the country’s aspiration to become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner.
TATOLI
