DOMINANT ANGLE
Bucharest notes the historic turnaround by Lula and the refusal of Flávio Bolsonaro, presented as an ally of Trump, to recognize an election he is seeking to have annulled.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Lula wins with 51.76% against 48.24% for Flávio Bolsonaro, after almost all ballots have been counted (Mediafax).
- 02
First time since the end of the dictatorship (1964-1985) that a candidate who came in second in the first round wins the second (G4Media).
- 03
Flávio Bolsonaro refuses to recognize the result and wants the second round cancelled, contesting the two-hour extension of voting decided by Judge Cristiano Zanin (Mediafax, G4Media).
ANALYSIS
Bucharest, October 26, 2026. Mediafax and G4Media, which relay AFP, Reuters, and Agerpres, report an upset. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Sunday's second round with 51.76% of the vote against 48.24% for conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, after almost all ballots were counted. G4Media, which stopped its count at 97.69%, gave 51.74% against 48.26%. The result contradicts the polls and the first round, where Bolsonaro led with 47.03% against 45.16% for Lula, a difference of 2.2 million votes. Lula finished with more than four million votes ahead.
G4Media emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the event: this is the first time since the end of the military dictatorship (1964-1985) that a candidate who came in second in the first round won in the second. Mediafax recalls that Lula, who will be 81 years old on Tuesday, is obtaining a fourth non-consecutive term and is among the oldest leaders in office in the Americas, alongside Donald Trump and Daniel Ortega. It also recalls his 2022 promise: "If I am elected, I will only serve one term."
The second aspect is the contestation. Flávio Bolsonaro, presented by G4Media as "Trump's ally," stated that he would not recognize the defeat and would request the annulment of the second round. His main grievance targets Supreme Court Judge Cristiano Zanin, who extended voting by two hours, a decision deemed "unacceptable." Mediafax notes, however, according to Reuters, that available information does not specify the other legal arguments he will invoke, nor whether the request has been filed, nor the response from the electoral authorities.
A Mediafax article is dedicated to international reactions. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote: "Long live democracy, the Brazilian people have won." Cuba, through the voice of Miguel Díaz-Canel, speaks of "dear brother Lula" and a historic victory. Right-wing leaders in the region also congratulate Lula: Chilean José Antonio Kast, an ally of the Bolsonaros, mentions economic integration and the fight against organized crime; Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa talks about "common enemies." Canadian Mark Carney estimates that relations have prospered under Lula. The economic and stock market dimensions of the election are absent from these texts.
