On the evening of Sunday, 25 October 2026, Guyanese Head of State President Irfaan Ali released an official statement extending warm congratulations to Brazil’s veteran leader Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, following his confirmed victory in a fiercely contested presidential runoff that secures him a landmark fourth term leading the South American nation.
Official results verified by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, announced at 9:13 PM local Brasilia time (00:13 GMT), confirmed Lula captured 51% of the popular vote, equivalent to over 51.49 million ballots, with more than 96% of all votes tabulated. His right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, garnered 48.68% of the vote, totaling 48.8 million ballots, capping a divisive campaign cycle that drew widespread international scrutiny.
In his public address, President Ali — a key U.S. strategic partner across the Caribbean and northern South America — emphasized that the two nations’ longstanding ties rooted in mutual respect, shared regional priorities and cross-border cooperation would only deepen under Lula’s new administration. The Guyanese leader specifically highlighted shared goals of advancing regional integration across Latin America and the Caribbean, expanding reciprocal trade and investment flows, upholding collective commitments to sustainable development, and driving inclusive prosperity for communities across the Western Hemisphere. Ali framed Lula’s re-election as a critical democratic milestone for Brazil, noting the result creates a clear mandate for the incumbent to build on policy progress from his prior tenure and expand equitable opportunity for all Brazilian citizens.
The runoff election cycle drew global attention for starkly contrasting foreign policy platforms: Bolsonaro’s campaign had pledged to realign Brazil even more closely with Washington’s geopolitical priorities, while Lula publicly pushed back against any U.S. interference in Brazil’s domestic electoral processes, repeatedly asserting that Brazil would never accept being sidelined as a subordinate “backyard” for any external power.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) also issued an official statement late Sunday, with Secretary General Albert Ramdin commending Brazilian voters for their record-high turnout in the second round of polling, framing the strong participation rate as a clear demonstration of the public’s commitment to civic duty, peaceful electoral conduct and core democratic values. Ramdin confirmed that the OAS will continue partnering with Lula’s incoming administration to advance a unified, forward-looking hemispheric agenda focused on collective peace and shared prosperity, adding that the OAS’s on-the-ground Election Observation Mission will release a preliminary post-runoff report outlining targeted, actionable improvements to further strengthen Brazil’s already robust electoral framework.