Ecuador

Quito, October 26, 2026. On Sunday, October 25, 2026, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the second round of the Brazilian presidential election. Primicias reports 51.74% against 48.26% for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, with more than four million votes difference; El Comercio notes that no candidate who came in second in the first round had won in the second since the end of the dictatorship (1964-1985). Lula, 80, will take office on January 5.

The Ecuadorian press focuses on the reaction of its own president. Daniel Noboa congratulated Lula on X: "Our region has common enemies, shared challenges and a lot to gain when we work together." Chancellor Roberto Kury hailed the Brazilian people and said he wants to strengthen friendship and cooperation between Ecuador and Brazil. The media notes that this message is in line with those of Bolivia and Paraguay, whose governments, although ideologically distant from Lula, have emphasized economic, commercial, and infrastructure cooperation.

Regional reactions occupy a large space. Claudia Sheinbaum writes "Long live democracy, the people of Brazil have won", Gustavo Petro speaks of a "triumph for humanity", Rodrigo Paz evokes two countries "neighbors and brothers". Primicias notes that the two largest economies in Latin America remain on the left, while the right governs most of the region; El Comercio sees a brake on the continent's right-wing turn.

The contentious aspect is treated more soberly. According to El Universo, Lula's team has filed an "urgent" appeal with the Superior Electoral Tribunal to extend voting by two hours, due to transportation incidents; Flávio Bolsonaro had requested a local extension due to heavy rains. Judge Cristiano Zanin extended the schedule until 7 pm. Flávio Bolsonaro deemed it "impossible to recognize the result in these conditions" and announced that he would request the annulment of the election: "I will not accept that the rules of the game have changed during the game". Opposition parliamentarians, including Marcel van Hattem, are preparing a request for Zanin's impeachment.

Lula, in São Paulo, spoke of a "defeat of lies and negationism" and promised "the best term a president has ever done". For the Ecuadorian press, the election is mainly a diplomatic benchmark: that of a continental neighbor with whom Quito wants to maintain cooperation relations, regardless of the current contestation in Brasília.