The Global Story - How Lula held on to Brazil - BBC Sounds

World Service , · 27 Oct 2026 , · 27 mins

Brazil has just come through a fierce electoral campaign that saw left-wing incumbent Lula face Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president convicted of plotting a coup. Election night brought a series of unexpected turns before incumbent Lula Da Silva was declared the winner. Flavio Bolsonaro refused to accept the result and has called for the election to be annulled. But the result is significant: Brazil, Latin America’s largest democracy, has broken a trend that has seen right-wing candidates, many aligned with Donald Trump, win elections across the region. So what does a Lula victory mean for Latin America? In this episode, we speak to Nathalia Passarinho, an editor at BBC Brazil and BBC Mundo. Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller Mix: Travis Evans Executive producer: Bridget Harney Digital producer: Charlie Firth Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after his victory in the presidential runoff election, October 26, 2026. Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters.