Statement of the Executive Bureau of the Fourth International
As Nelson Mandela allegedly said, everything is impossible until it becomes reality. Given Brazil's recent history, it was highly unlikely that Lula would win the presidential election on the 25th, after having lost the first round on 4 October.
Nevertheless, a wave of mobilizations, started by university students, spread across Brazil during the 20 days between the first and second rounds, with massive demonstrations in the streets, a multiplication of activity on social media, a new climate in the political contest, and a new social media strategy from the official campaign. This helped reduce abstention and null votes and even won over some voters who changed their choice. Thus, for the first time in the democratic regime begun in 1985, the candidate who lost the first round won the second. Lula received 51.78% of valid votes, 10 million more than three weeks earlier, against 48.22% for Bolsonaro Junior.
The result in Brazil stopped, for the moment, the wave of victories of the right and the extreme right in Latin America, defeating the addicted algorithms and the manoeuvres of Meta and other Big Techs and challenging Trump's plans for the region. The popular triumph raised a small call of hope in the global fight against the heirs of fascism.
As the Fourth International, we joyfully salute this victory of the Brazilian people. We salute the youth, who, like in Europe and India, never let their enthusiasm drop during the decisive weeks. We salute the workers, the campesin@s and the landless, the indigenous communities, the women of the working neighborhoods – decisive for Lula's victory –, the feminists, the LGBTQIA+ community; the environmentalists, artists, cultural workers and progressive intellectuals.
We know that the immediate future will not be easy for Brazil’s workers and people, since the far right has grown stronger in parliament and in state governments, placing severe limits on progressive measures for the next government and the possibility of new social achievements. But what you did in this historic October shows the path towards anti-fascist resistance and against ultra-liberal plans. It will be more than ever necessary that you remain mobilized, that you remain organized in all parts of your big country, against the setbacks that this same extreme right will continue to try to impose on the economic, social, democratic freedoms and on the sovereignty of Brazil and of all Latin America.
In the meantime, Flavio Bolsonaro fled to the United States, while a judge ordered an investigation into possible foreign funding of his election campaign. This is yet another example of the true face of the extreme right—a force in the pay of big business and imperialism.
Your victory is a victory of the movement, therefore, of all those who fight in the world against the extreme right and their plans of destruction.
27 October 2026