Who won the 2022 Brazilian general election?
The 2022 Brazilian general election resulted in Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeating incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro in a historic runoff. Lula secured his third non-consecutive presidential term with 50.90% of the vote, making it the closest presidential election result in Brazil to date. Meanwhile, right-wing parties made significant gains in the National Congress.
What we know
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the second round of the 2022 presidential election with 50.90% of the vote compared to Jair Bolsonaro's 49.10%. [2]
- Jair Bolsonaro became the first incumbent president to lose a bid for a second term since a 1997 constitutional amendment allowed consecutive re-election. [2]
- Right-wing parties made gains in the National Congress during the election. [2]
- Lula chose Geraldo Alckmin, who had previously faced him as a presidential opponent in 2006, as his vice presidential running mate. [2, 5]
Still open
- Bolsonaro's party challenged the election results by requesting that the Superior Electoral Court invalidate votes recorded by electronic voting machines lacking specific identification numbers.
Where to go next
- what caused itWhat led to Lula's imprisonment and subsequent political comeback?
- what followedHow did the 2026 Brazilian general election unfold after this outcome?
- how it workedHow do electronic voting machines function in Brazilian elections?
- how we knowWhat did opinion polls show leading up to the 2022 runoff?
- compared withHow does the political rivalry between Lula and Geraldo Alckmin compare over time?
- an unexpected connectionHow did a former presidential rival become vice president?Geraldo Alckmin ran against Lula as the main centre-right opponent in 2006, yet ultimately joined Lula's ticket as his vice presidential running mate in 2022.
Sources
- [1]2022 Brazilian general election (Wikidata Q65053343) · CC0 1.0
- [2]2022 Brazilian general election · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [3]2026 Brazilian general election · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [4]Opinion polling for the 2026 Brazilian presidential election · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [5]2006 Brazilian general election · CC BY-SA 4.0