Brazil's Lula da Silva clinches election victory as Bolsonaro rejects results

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pulled off a dramatic comeback on Sunday as he clinched a re-election victory with a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, giving him 51.8% of the total vote.

The 81-year-old leftist defied projections to win an unprecedented fourth term, staving off a conservative wave that has seen numerous South American countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, all shift right, backed by US President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro quickly refused to concede defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled after an evening of chaos at some polling places that followed a last-minute decision to extend voting by two hours.

The senator is the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year jail term for attempting a coup after his loss to Lula in the country's last election in 2022.

Lula had requested the extension after he complained that buses had been pulled from circulation in various cities, barring citizens from voting.

Flavio Bolsonaro also requested an extension in some regions due to heavy rains, but he described the decision as "unacceptable" and a "dirty trick".

"It is impossible to recognise the results. I am going to request the annulment of these elections," he said in a brief speech in Brasília.

After a first-round defeat, the left swung into action with massive rallies, declaring "Never Again Bolsonaro" and revamped their social media strategy.

No candidate who lost the first round has gone on to win the second in Brazil since 1989, the first direct election after the end of the country's military dictatorship.

The abstention rate decreased from the first round, falling from 21 percent to 19 percent.

"People went to vote because we managed to convince them that voting was very important for ensuring democracy in the country," Lula said in his first comments after the win.

Fireworks and vuvuzelas rang out in Rio de Janeiro, while thousands of people dressed in red, the color of Lula's Workers' Party, streamed into the streets of Sao Paulo to celebrate.