This Is Bigger Than Brazil

Ms. Barbara covers Brazilian politics, culture and everyday life. She wrote from São Paulo, Brazil.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has won his fourth presidential term, triumphing after a bruising runoff against his right-wing challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro. By any metric, the 80-year-old leader’s comeback is extraordinary, having secured 51.8 percent of the vote against Mr. Bolsonaro’s 48.2 percent — a margin of some 4.4 million votes. But Brazil’s polarized politics rarely allow for a neat resolution. Shortly after the result was called on Sunday, Mr. Bolsonaro announced he would seek to annul the election, refusing to accept his defeat. Even with the votes tallied, Mr. Lula — and the country — may be in for a protracted period of political friction.

After Mr. Lula lost in the election’s first round of voting earlier this month, it became clear that Mr. Bolsonaro — the son of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s disgraced ex-president who is currently under house arrest for a coup attempt in 2022 —........

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