Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets of the country’s largest cities on Sunday night to celebrate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s runoff victory, sealed with more than 64 million votes and a comeback without precedent in Brazil’s democratic history.
Featured Picture: Supporters of the President of Brazil celebrate this Sunday after Lula won the second round of elections with 51.79% of the vote, compared to 48.21% for the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, in a comeback unprecedented in the democratic history of the country. Photo: EFE.
Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians filled the streets of the country’s main cities to celebrate the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Presidential election on Sunday, October 25.
With 100% of the vote counted, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) indicated that the current President obtained 51.79% of the votes against 48.21% for the ultra-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
According to the official tally, Lula exceeded 64 million votes, making him the first president elected four times in the country. The count turned out to be a historic comeback, with 10 million votes won by the leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) between the first and second round.
Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, erupted first. The Rio Vermelho neighborhood, a traditional gathering point for left-wing activists, was taken over by the celebrations. Largo da Dinha filled with Lula voters, and fireworks lit the night sky near the Casa de Iemanjá. In the Imbuí district, neighbors leaned from the balconies of their buildings to join the party. More festivities unfolded in Graça, Pituba and Vila Laura.
🇧🇷 | Festejos masivos en São Paulo: miles de personas colmaron la Avenida Paulista para celebrar la victoria de Lula da Silva tras imponerse en el balotaje frente a Flávio Bolsonaro. Banderas, cánticos y euforia tiñen el corazón financiero de Brasil. https://t.co/67Ipi8gK8e
— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) October 26, 2026
Bahia was decisive. The state contributed more than 6.4 million votes in the second round, 71% of its total, and almost 1.2 million in Salvador alone, 73% of the capital’s ballots, according to BNews. Those numbers helped reverse the first round, when Flávio Bolsonaro had finished ahead.
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the Vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, celebrate the electoral victory along with the people in Sao Paulo / Photos: EFE.
A Red Sea of People
In the federal capital, block 405 of Asa Norte became the main concentration point for Lula’s supporters. A true “sea of people,” dressed in red and waving flags and umbrellas, vibrated when the official victory announcement arrived. Celebrations also spread to Águas Claras and Guará, where some drivers sounded their horns through the night.
Across the political divide, supporters of Flavio Bolsonaro and of reelected Federal District governor Celina Leão had planned a Victory Act at the National Museum of the Republic that same Sunday. The contrast between the two gatherings captured the split that defined the contest.
In Rio de Janeiro, crowds also took to the streets to mark the historic comeback, one that Datafolha described as unprecedented since 1989.
SEGUIDORES DE LULA SALEN A CELEBRAR SU REELECCIÓN EN BRASILIA 🇧🇷🎉 Simpatizantes del presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva se congregaron en una zona de bares de Brasilia, la capital de Brasil, para festejar su victoria sobre Flávio Bolsonaro. https://t.co/zRm57ipIzX
— News On Demand (@OnDemand_News) October 26, 2026
With this recent electoral victory, Lula, now 80 years old, returns for a fourth term after finishing second in the first round, and after the courts sentenced his previous rival, Jair Bolsonaro, to more than 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 result. Flávio Bolsonaro, the imprisoned former President’s eldest son, carried the family banner this time and lost it.
The reelection also comes with a strengthened legislative position. The Workers’ Party (PT) gained more than 20 seats in the Chamber of Deputies compared with 2022.
The Brazilian result breaks with a regional trend that had favored right-wing candidates allied with Trump, and it repositions Brazil at the center of South American politics.
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