Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election as Brazil's president represents a significant political shift in Latin America.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, was re-elected on Sunday in a result that keeps some distance between Latin America's biggest economy and Washington. Source: CBC News World https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/lula-brazil-reelection-9.7395695

Here’s the latest. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil 🔥🔥surged to re-election on Sunday, according to official preliminary results, ending a string of conservative wins in Latin America cheered on by President Trump. Mr. Lula fended off a challenge from Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president who had attempted a coup four years ago, after Brazil’s judiciary ordered that polls remain open two extra hours because of transportation delays and bad weather. Mr. Lula received 51.8 percent of the vote, versus 48.2 percent for Flávio Bolsonaro, with 99.9 percent of the ballots counted, according to official preliminary results. ⭐️The leftist’s 3.6 percent margin of victory was wider than four years ago. 🔸Even more stunning was that he achieved the comeback after placing second in the first round of voting earlier this month, a first in Brazilian history. “I would like to thank the Brazilian people for the generosity they have shown me for a long time,” Mr. Lula said in a victory speech in São Paulo. Mr. Lula, 80, had framed his candidacy as a vote for democracy and the only way to bar the return of the Bolsonaro family to power. He has frequently and defiantly clashed with Trump, who attempted to use tariffs and sanctions to keep Mr. Bolsonaro’s father, Jair, out of prison. ✅ Mr. Lula’s victory snapped a string of seven straight wins by right-wing leaders in the region over the last 18 months, and suggested that Latin America’s left-wing forces still wield some influence despite the losses. Both candidates asked for polls to be kept open. Mr. Bolsonaro said that flooding in a part of the country where he held electoral advantages would unfairly hurt him, while Mr. Lula accused public officials of purposefully slowing down public transportation in areas where he won in an earlier round of voting. The court order that gave Brazilian voters more time to cast ballots took effect after some polls had already closed and halted the ballot count that was already underway, sparking fears that the result may be disputed by Mr. Bolsonaro. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/10/25/world/brazil-election?smid=nytcore-ios-share