Lula is reelected president of Brazil and secures a fourth term

A fourth presidential mandate means Lula was elected president again after already serving two consecutive terms from 2003 to 2010 and returning to office in 2023. The result confirms his continued leadership of Brazil and gives him another period to pursue his political agenda.

The mandate starts on January 5, 2027. The article says Lula will remain in office until 2031. His reelection was confirmed at 21h09, when 97.69% of the ballots had been counted, according to the Superior Electoral Court.

This new term will not repeat the political conditions of his first election. Lula will face a Congress with stronger right-wing representation and may nominate up to four Supreme Federal Court justices. He will therefore need negotiations both to pass measures and to secure Senate approval for court appointments.

Lula defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election. This continued a broader political rivalry between Lula’s Workers’ Party and the Bolsonaro family, which has been central to recent Brazilian elections.

The article places the result in a clear sequence. Lula governed from 2003 to 2010, then returned to the presidency in 2023 after defeating Jair Bolsonaro. In the latest contest, he faced another member of the same family and won again.

The outcome keeps Lula in the presidency until 2031 and places him opposite a stronger congressional presence from the right. Flávio Bolsonaro’s party, the Liberal Party, elected the largest bloc in the Chamber of Deputies. The political dispute therefore continues beyond the presidential vote, especially inside Congress and during Supreme Court nominations.

Brazil’s new Congress will have a stronger presence from right-wing parties. The Liberal Party, which belongs to Flávio Bolsonaro, will be the largest group in the Chamber of Deputies. The article identifies its totals in both chambers.

In the 513-member Chamber, the Liberal Party will control 121 seats. The federation formed by PT, PCdoB, and PV will hold 88 seats. In the 81-member Senate, the Liberal Party will have 28 senators, while PT will have nine representatives.

These numbers do not give any one group complete control of Congress. They do show that Lula will need support beyond his own political base to approve ordinary projects and constitutional amendments. The distribution also matters for Supreme Court appointments, because each nominee needs approval from at least 41 senators.

A conservative-leaning Congress means Lula cannot rely only on his political base to pass measures. The president will need to negotiate with parties outside that base, especially because right-wing parties gained more seats in the elections.

The article gives a concrete example. The Liberal Party will have 121 deputies, the largest Chamber bloc, while the PT-PCdoB-PV federation will have 88. In the Senate, the Liberal Party will hold 28 of 81 seats, compared with nine for PT. These figures make coalition-building essential.

If agreements fail, government projects and constitutional changes could face resistance, delay, or rejection. The article does not describe specific failed votes, but it clearly says negotiations will be required. The same congressional balance could also affect Lula’s Supreme Court nominations, since senators must approve each nominee.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, or STF, is the country’s highest court for constitutional matters. Its central role is to interpret Brazil’s Constitution and decide whether laws or official actions respect it. This makes the Court an important check within the political system.

The Court can examine disputes involving constitutional rights, institutions, and government powers. It may also make binding decisions in certain constitutional cases. These powers mean that its composition can influence how major political conflicts and laws are resolved.

The article highlights the Court because Lula may nominate up to four ministers during his new mandate. Three current ministers face mandatory retirement, and one seat has been open since 2025. Each nominee must receive approval from at least 41 senators, linking the Court’s future directly to the balance of power in Congress.

Lula could make up to four nominations to Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court during the new mandate. The possibility depends on an existing vacancy remaining open through 2026, in addition to three expected retirements.

The article lists the expected dates. Luiz Fux must retire in April 2028, Cármen Lúcia in April 2029, and Gilmar Mendes in December 2030. A fourth seat became vacant after Luís Roberto Barroso left in 2025. If that position is still unfilled in 2026, Lula could nominate four ministers.

The Senate controls the approval stage. Every nominee needs at least 41 senators’ votes. Because the Liberal Party will hold 28 of the 81 Senate seats, Lula will need support from other senators. The congressional composition will therefore influence both the timing and the names of future Court members.

Separation of powers means different institutions hold different kinds of authority. In Brazil, the president leads the executive branch and proposes or administers government policies. Congress makes laws, approves constitutional changes, controls legislative decisions, and participates in selecting Supreme Court ministers.

The Supreme Federal Court performs the judicial role in constitutional matters. It interprets the Constitution and can assess whether laws or official actions comply with it. These institutions can therefore limit one another rather than allowing all authority to rest with the president.

The article shows this system in practice. Lula will need congressional negotiations to approve projects and constitutional amendments. He may nominate STF ministers, but the Senate must approve each one with at least 41 votes. The Court’s composition and Congress’s political balance will both shape the president’s ability to govern.