Lula wins fourth term as Flávio Bolsonaro refuses to concede

The comeback: In the Oct. 4 first round, Bolsonaro led with 47.03% to Lula's 45.16%. The BBC reported Lula is the first president since Brazil's 1988 constitution to win after losing the first round. He is 80 and will start his fourth term on Jan. 5, serving to 2030.

What Lula said: Lula called the result a "loss for negativity, lies" and said, "This, my fourth term, will be the best of any president in the history of this country," adding that it would be "the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people," the BBC reported. He also said Brazil "will not accept being anyone's backyard." His vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, told him, "You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy."

Bolsonaro's challenge: Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, called the result "inexplicable" and "impossible" and refused to concede, G1 and the Washington Post reported. He says he will ask for the election to be annulled because Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting by two hours. "I will not accept the rules of the game being changed in the middle of the game once again by Lula's friends on the Supreme Federal Court," he said, in BBC Brasil's report (our translation). His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt.

The court's answer: TSE President Kassio Nunes Marques, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Jair Bolsonaro, said the extension caused no problems: "We have absolute confidence in the entire electoral process" (our translation of BBC Brasil's quote).

Weak spot (Bolsonaro's annulment claim): Bolsonaro's own coalition had asked the TSE to extend voting in some states because of rain, so objecting to an extension does not by itself show unfair treatment. Three electoral-law experts quoted by BBC Brasil, Fabrício Antunes, Alberto Rollo and Fernando Neisser, said annulment is unlikely because Brazil's Electoral Code requires proof of harm that could have changed the result. Rollo, though, called Zanin's decision "a legal monstrosity," so the order itself has critics beyond Bolsonaro's camp.

How outlets framed it: The BBC led with Lula's comeback and his "fourth term" pledge. AP stressed the 4.4 million-vote margin and Bolsonaro's claim that "the rules had been changed during voting." The Washington Post's morning briefing focused on his refusal to concede. Before the vote, Fox News framed the runoff as a test of Latin America's conservative wave, a trend Lula's win runs against.

Reactions: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "Democracy and multilateralism have won in Brazil." France's Emmanuel Macron, Spain's Pedro Sánchez, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and Ecuador's Daniel Noboa also congratulated Lula, the BBC reported. President Trump had not commented as of the BBC's report.

What's still unknown: How many votes were cast during the extended two hours. BBC Brasil asked the TSE and had not received an answer. Also unknown: whether Bolsonaro files a formal challenge, and how Trump responds.

Updated Monday morning, Oct. 26, with the Superior Electoral Court's (TSE) final count at 100% of sections. This replaces Sunday's projection-based draft. Vote totals are from the TSE as reported by G1. We have not seen a TSE answer on how many votes were cast during the extended hours, and Flávio Bolsonaro had not filed a formal challenge as of our last check.