By Ben Jenkins, Podcast Manager
While countries across South America have shifted increasingly more conservative, Brazilian voters went in a different direction on Oct. 25, reelecting left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The race was extremely tight. Lula da Silva, of the Workers’ Party, won 51.79% of the vote, while his competitor, Flávio Bolsonaro, of the right-wing Liberal Party, won 48.21%. Bolsonaro is the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula da Silva defeated in 2022.
The defeat of Flávio Bolsonaro came as a major surprise following the first round of voting, where he took a substantial lead, but Lula da Silva came back during the runoff. His term will begin on Jan. 5, 2027.
The election dealt with much controversy following Lula da Silva’s victory. Bolsonaro initially refused to recognize the results, calling for a Supreme Court justice to extend voting hours by two hours because of severe weather.
Both campaigns did call for an extension, but Bolsonaro claimed it unfairly affected the results. However, Brazil’s authorities maintained that the extension would not affect the outcome of the election.
This left-wing win is in stark contrast to what was seen throughout the rest of South America over the past two years. In Bolivia, 20 years of leftist rule came to an end with the election of Rodrigo Paz in October 2025. Colombia elected Abelardo de la Espriella in June, another conservative-leaning president. Peru, Ecuador and Chile also elected conservative candidates in their most recent elections.
There are many reasons that could be attributed to this massive shift in South American politics. Many economies on the continent have experienced hardship over the last 20 years, seeing spikes in inflation and the cost of living. Crime has also been a major topic of concern for many nations.
Although right-wing candidates have won in overwhelming fashion on the continent, there has been a much different trend worldwide.
“Last week’s shocking upset in Brazil’s elections, along with recent results in Serbia, reflects what I see as a broader trend across the democratic world: the rejection of far-right populist and authoritarian candidates. Whether this trend will continue remains to be seen, but for now, the signs increasingly point in that direction,” sophomore international relations and Philosophy, Politics, and the Public major Grant Lemmenes said.
While conservative candidates have found success in South America, recent elections in other parts of the world have shown different results. In places like Serbia, voters have challenged far-right populist and authoritarian political movements, and Brazil is following this movement.
Lula da Silva is heading into his fourth term as Brazilian president after the turn of the new year, when he will continue to lead the continent’s largest economy. Despite winning, this race was extremely close, which could point to Brazil slowly shifting to align with its neighbors.
As political leadership continues to change throughout South America, Brazil’s election highlights the uncertainty surrounding the region’s political future and whether the recent conservative trend will continue in future elections.