Leaders from different regions and political orientations congratulated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on his re-election won on Sunday (the 25th) over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL). The congratulations came from Beijing, Moscow, New Delhi and Brussels, from left-wing governments such as Mexico and Spain and from right-wing presidents in South America, such as José Antonio Kast of Chile and Keiko Fujimori of Peru. From the US government, as of the publication of this report, no congratulations had arrived.
China, Brazil’s largest trading partner since 2009, spoke on Monday (26) through the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, at the regular press briefing of the chancellery. “China has learned that the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court announced that President Lula won the second round of the Brazilian general elections and expresses its congratulations,” he said.
Guo added that the Asian nation is “willing to work with Brazil to continue advancing the construction of a shared future community between China and Brazil.” The Kremlin also welcomed the re-election and praised Lula’s contribution to bilateral relations and to BRICS.
Washington has not yet responded
President Donald Trump said on Sunday, before the voting ended, that he was following the Brazilian election but did not declare support for either candidate. Relations between the two governments deteriorated in recent months with tariffs imposed by the White House on Brazilian products and with American pressure against the process that condemned Jair Bolsonaro for attempted coup. Trump’s ally, Argentina’s president Javier Milei, had also not yet commented on Lula’s victory.
Flávio did not accept the result and announced that he would seek to annul the election. Donald Trump Jr., the American president’s son, criticized on social media the decision by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend the voting by two hours at sections where voters were still in line.
India and Europe
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the PT leader a “dear friend” and said he looks forward to “working closely with him to deepen even further and expand the multifaceted India-Brazil Strategic Partnership.” “Together, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation in various sectors, advance the shared priorities of the Global South and work for a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable world,” he wrote.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also treated Lula as a friend. “Democracy and multilateralism won in Brazil. Europe’s partnership with Brazil is flourishing. We will stay by his side in the years to come,” she posted. She pledged to work “for free and open trade. A rules-based global order. And strong ambitions for our climate.”
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, argued for strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. “France and Brazil have a lot to build together. In the face of the great challenges of our time, let us reinforce our strategic partnership and make the friendship between our two countries live, in the service of a more just world,” he wrote. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez carried the result into domestic politics: “A great victory for Lula! What happened in Brazil will happen in Spain. The global progressive resurgence has just begun.”
In the continent, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said that “the relations between Canada and Brazil have advanced thanks to our partnership” and proposed strengthening them “by creating new promising trade opportunities, protecting the environment and ensuring greater prosperity for our two populations.” Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum was brief: “Long live democracy, the Brazilian people have won. Congratulations, President Lula!”.
South American right greets Lula
Kast, close to the Bolsonaro family, phoned Lula. “Chile and Brazil have a promising future together, and we will continue working on an agenda that strengthens our countries’ relations in the areas of economic integration and fighting organized crime in the region,” he said after the call.
The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, said that “Paraguay and Brazil share a common agenda of integration and development.” Fujimori lauded the “Brazilian people for this democratic journey” and cited the bicentennial of diplomatic relations: “I reaffirm our desire to strengthen our strategic alliance, integration, cooperation and the sustainable development of the Amazon that we share, for the benefit of both peoples.”
The president of Colombia, Abelardo De La Espriella, who supported Flávio in the race, recognized Lula’s victory and argued for maintaining cooperation between the two countries despite political differences. “In the Colombian presidential campaign, President Lula openly supported Iván Cepeda and I won. In the Brazilian campaign, I supported Bolsonaro and Lula won. Neither Lula decides for Colombians nor I decide for Brazilians. THE PEOPLE DECIDE!”, he wrote on X. “And when the people speak at the polls, their will is respected because it is sacred. That is what democracy is about!” he added.
The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, sent “congratulations” to Lula and argued that “our region has common enemies, shared challenges and a lot to gain when we work together.”
