Lithuania

Vilnius, October 26, 2026. The Lithuanian press, led by 15min and Verslo žinios, presents the re-election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as a halt to the conservative push in Latin America. According to official results, he garnered 51.8% of the vote against 48.2% for Flávio Bolsonaro, a margin of around 4.4 million votes. The two media outlets emphasize that Brazil has resisted the wave that has shifted Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru to the right, with the support of US President Donald Trump. At 81 years old, Lula defied predictions and secured an unprecedented fourth term.

The narrative stresses the unprecedented nature of the victory: since 1989 and the first direct elections after the military dictatorship, no candidate who lost in the first round had gone on to win in the second. On the eve of the vote, the two media outlets described a tight race, with the final polls showing the candidates neck and neck. Lula positioned himself as a bulwark against US interference and democratic backsliding, while his rival promised to crack down on crime and reduce public spending.

The contentious aspect is detailed. The Supreme Court extended voting by two hours, although some polling stations had already closed, at Lula's request, who denounced the withdrawal of buses in several cities. Flávio Bolsonaro had also requested an extension in certain regions due to heavy rain, but called the court's decision "unacceptable and a dirty trick." In a brief statement, with a stern face, he said: "It is impossible to recognize the results. I will request the annulment of these elections."

The articles recall the family background: his father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 defeat. During the campaign, Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, presented himself as more moderate than his father, but announced that his first act would be to free him. Donald Trump, the texts note, had not publicly supported the son of his ally.

On the winner's side, the press quotes the message on democracy: voters would have gone to vote because they were convinced that the election was essential to guarantee it. From Vilnius' perspective, the reading remains that of an outside observer, attentive to Brazil's geopolitical position between Washington and the Latin American left, rather than to its internal economic issues.