China News Service, October 26 (Feng Xiaoyan) On October 25, local time, Brazil held the second round of voting for the presidential election. The candidate of the Labor Party and current President Lula defeated the leading Liberal Party candidate in the first round of voting, Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Bolsonaro, and won re-election. After winning the election, Lula wrote: "Thank you to the Brazilian people!"
Since the resumption of direct presidential elections in 1989, Lula is the first candidate in Brazil to win after losing the first round of voting. He will take office on January 5, 2027, beginning his fourth presidential term of four years.
Foreign media pointed out that as an iconic figure of the global left and one of the most influential figures in Brazilian politics this century, Lula's victory curbed the momentum of successive victories of right-wing parties in Latin America. This was another highlight in his political career. Where will he lead Brazil in the next four years?
Once imprisoned for 580 days, he insisted that "Brazil is not anyone's backyard"
Lula's full name was Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. He was born in October 1945 into a poor peasant family in northeastern Brazil.
When he was 7 years old, Lula moved with his family to the state of Sao Paulo in search of a better life. While living in Sao Paulo state, Lula dropped out of school to work as a shoe shiner, and later worked in a factory.
In his 20s, Lula began to join the trade union movement and organized many strikes. In the early 1970s, Lula became a trade union leader and a pioneer in resistance to the then-junta rule. In 1980, Lula co-founded the Brazilian Workers' Party.
In 2002, Lula won the election as the presidential candidate of the Workers' Party and was elected president for the first time. He also became the president with the most votes in Brazilian history and the first president of worker origin. During his administration, global demand for commodities rose, boosting Brazil's economic boom; the massive social welfare programs he implemented during his tenure helped lift millions of people out of poverty.
In 2006, Lula was successfully re-elected as president.
However, Lula's political career subsequently suffered a major setback. In 2014, the Brazilian judicial authorities launched the "Operation Car Wash" large-scale anti-corruption investigation, and Lula was subsequently investigated. In April 2018, Lula was imprisoned on corruption-related charges until his release in November 2019, spending 580 days in prison.
In 2021, Brazil's Federal Supreme Court ruled that all previous sentences Lula had received for corruption were "invalid." This cleared the way for Lula to return to politics and participate in the presidential election.
In 2022, Lula won the presidential election for the third time, defeating then-President Jair Bolsonaro and becoming the first Brazilian president to win a third term.
In terms of governance philosophy, Lula advocates expanding government functions, strengthening social policies and protecting workers' rights and interests. In terms of diplomacy, he actively participated in international affairs and included BRICS cooperation and South-South cooperation in the new foreign policy program. Lula also attaches great importance to relations with China and actively promotes a Brazil-China community with a shared future that builds a fairer world and a more sustainable planet.
In the 2026 Brazilian presidential election, Lula won again. On the evening of the 25th, Lula delivered a victory speech in Sao Paulo, Brazil, thanking the Brazilian people for their support in helping him defeat foreign interference in the election. He emphasized that Brazil is "no one's backyard."
Relying on “familiar roads” to win over voters
In this election, Lula, who is about to celebrate his 81st birthday, broke the predictions of polling agencies and used facts to refute many assertions that his "political career has come to an end."
Some analysts believe that the reason why Lula was able to win re-election was not only due to his personal charm, his long-term accumulation of political influence, but also to the policy measures he launched during the campaign.
Lula highlighted his achievements during this campaign, saying poverty and inequality had declined, with unemployment, illiteracy and deforestation all reaching historic lows during his third term as president.
In addition, Lula launched a series of welfare measures and made a number of policy commitments to improve his chances of winning in the second round of the election.
In September 2026, Lula announced that he would increase the payment amount of Brazil's main welfare program "Family Grant" by 15%. This additional measure was implemented a few days before the election and is expected to benefit nearly 50 million people.
Lula also supports the introduction of credit relief and tax incentives for small businesses, allowing them to obtain low-interest government loans and renegotiate some debts. To control fuel costs, Lula also took some administrative measures, such as canceling federal taxes on gasoline imports and sales within 30 days and allowing further extensions based on circumstances.
The co-founder of a consultancy said voters chose the "familiar path" represented by Lula over the "fresh line" represented by Bolsonaro.
On the evening of the 25th, Lula talked about the direction of the new government in his victory speech. He said that the government will further strengthen communication with the public on social media platforms and pay more attention to the demands of the elderly, women and other groups. Lula also said he would continue to step up action on climate change. In addition, he also promised to promote the reform of the public health system and provide better medical and health services to the people.
"Probably the most difficult term"
Although Lula achieved another major victory in his political career, many foreign media pointed out that the Brazilian leader will probably face his most difficult term in office. The difficult game with Congress and high debt levels are all challenges that Lula will face in his fourth term.
Reuters pointed out that Bolsonaro's Liberal Party and its allied parties may control more than 280 seats in the House of Representatives and as many as 50 seats in the Senate, which is enough to give the opposition a fairly solid majority in both houses and may intensify Lula's resistance to budgets, major legislation and key nominations. The new government will face time-consuming and laborious negotiations on many issues that must be submitted to Congress for consideration.
On the economic level, Lula is also facing pressure. Reuters pointed out that the Brazilian government predicts that the economic growth rate in 2027 will be only 2.3%. At the same time, high interest rates and public debt problems have heightened fiscal concerns.
The Financial Times also regarded the economy as one of the main challenges facing Lula's new term. The media said that if Lula does not take measures to significantly reduce public spending, he will face the risk of encountering a serious credibility crisis in the financial market.
However, analysis points out that throughout Lula's political career, he has returned to the political stage after major setbacks and has demonstrated the ability to combine left-wing policy propositions with pragmatic political strategies. This allowed him to respond to periods when economic policy was challenged. This victory once again highlights Lula's influence in Brazilian politics.
Facing the challenges in his fourth term, whether Lula can continue to maintain the same superb political wisdom to deal with severe challenges will be the key to his governance prospects.
