DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris sees Lula's re-election as a setback for the Latin American conservative wave and for Donald Trump, more than just a Brazilian election, while also noting Flavio Bolsonaro's challenge and a hostile Congress.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Lula wins with 51.8% against 48.2% for Flavio Bolsonaro, a lead of 4.4 million votes (Sud Ouest, BFMTV).
- 02
Flavio Bolsonaro says: "It is impossible to recognize the elections" and wants the vote annulled after a two-hour extension of voting (L'Express).
- 03
The right dominates Congress with 286 deputies out of 513 and 51 senators out of 81, limiting Lula's room for maneuver (Le Monde).
ANALYSIS
Paris, October 26, 2026. The French press is making the re-election of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Sunday, October 25, a continental event before making it a Brazilian one. With 51.8% of the vote against 48.2% for Flavio Bolsonaro, a difference of 4.4 million votes according to Sud Ouest and BFMTV, the left-wing president, who will be 81 years old on Tuesday, obtains an unprecedented fourth term after being overtaken in the first round (45% against 47%). RFI sees it as "a true electoral feat": never has a candidate who came in second in the first round overturned the situation in Brazil.
The narrative is rooted in the region. "Brazil has ultimately not turned to the right like Argentina, Chile, or Colombia," repeat France 24, Le Monde, BFMTV, or 20 Minutes, which reuse the same dispatch. France 24 recalls that Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia have joined the American "Bouclier des Amériques" and speaks of a setback for Donald Trump, who supported the Bolsonaro family. Lula defended the sovereignty of his country, stating that Brazil "does not accept being the backyard of anyone." Le Monde mentions a "specter" of Bolsonarism aligned with Washington that would have mobilized voters.
The contestation by Flavio Bolsonaro is treated as a political fact more than a real risk. "It is impossible to recognize the elections," he declared in Brasilia, citing the two-hour extension of voting ordered by Judge Cristiano Zanin at Lula's request, who denounced the withdrawal of buses in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahia. L'Express specifies that the Bolsonaro camp had also requested an extension, due to rain, and that, according to analysts, the magnitude of the defeat makes annulment unlikely.
The media then highlight the fragility of the victory. Le Monde recalls that the right holds a majority in both chambers, with 286 deputies out of 513 and 51 senators out of 81; the political scientist Thais Pavez speaks of "extremely hostile" government conditions. France 24 in English adds the budgetary burden: a public debt exceeding 80% of GDP.
Finally, the press relays the Latin American reactions: congratulations from Claudia Sheinbaum and Miguel Díaz-Canel, but also from Keiko Fujimori and José Antonio Kast, who promise to cooperate with Brasília.
SOURCES (5)
- L'ExpressMEDIUM
- BFMTV InternationalMEDIUM
