# Elderly voters powered Lula's shock Brazil comeback > Over one million older Brazilians who skipped the first round voted in the runoff, helping the leftist president overturn a first-round loss to far-right Flávio Bolsonaro. - Title: Elderly voters powered Lula's shock Brazil comeback | Shortify - Summary: Over one million older Brazilians who skipped the first round voted in the runoff, helping the leftist president overturn a first-round loss to far-right… - Keywords: brazil, lula, flávio bolsonaro, jair bolsonaro, election runoff, elderly voters, october 2026, democracy, the Guardian - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/05/unsung-heroes-behind-lula-surprise-election-triumph-brazil-runoff-bolsonaro - Published: 2026-11-05T11:00:21+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: brazil, lula, flávio bolsonaro, jair bolsonaro, election runoff, elderly voters, october 2026, democracy, news, world ## A centenarian makes her choice Celia de Oliveira Soares, one hundred and one, had not voted in nearly a decade. On October twenty-fifth, relatives drove her to a polling booth to vote against far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. > I like Lula. I really do! ## Lula lost the first round President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lost Brazil's first round of voting on October fourth. But over one million elderly voters who missed that round decided to vote in the runoff. ## An unprecedented comeback Never since democracy returned in the nineteen eighties had the first-round loser bounced back. Lula did just that, finding ten point three million extra votes between the first and second rounds. ## Lula credits the elderly At his eighty-first birthday party, Lula shed tears describing his gratitude to elderly voters who helped him clinch a historic fourth term while clutching walking frames and sticks. > I honestly think it was the most powerful and human image I've ever seen during an election. ## Elderly turnout surged Of three million extra voters who participated in the runoff after skipping the first round, one point four million were over seventy. Pre-election polls suggested such voters were more inclined to vote for Lula. ## A cross-generational victory Former minister Simone Tebet called the result a cross-generational triumph. She declared: young people hit the streets and golden-agers saved democracy, sending a message to the democratic world. > Young people hit the streets and golden-agers saved our democracy. ## The numbers tell the story Political journalist José Roberto de Toledo confirmed concrete evidence of higher turnout among older voters aged sixty to seventy-nine in the runoff. Voting is only mandatory in Brazil for those aged eighteen to sixty-nine. > It really happened, and it was a movement you can measure statistically. ## Fear drove the swing Toledo believed the swing to Lula was explained mostly by fear, not age. Many who backed Lula in the runoff had previously voted for Bolsonaro's rightwing adversaries, hoping to protest against Lula's Worker's party. ## Bolsonaro's dangerous rhetoric Bolsonaro alienated voters with his arrogant behaviour after winning the first round, particularly his vow to re-democratise the already democratic country. Toledo suspected this stoked fears Bolsonaro aspired to be the emperor of Brazil. ## Soares remembers dictatorship Celia de Oliveira Soares, who was twelve when Getúlio Vargas staged a coup in nineteen thirty-seven, lived through eight years of dictatorial rule. She feared Flávio Bolsonaro's father wanted to stage a similar coup. > His father wanted to stage a coup … and stay on as president, just like Getúlio did in nineteen thirty-seven. ## Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father and former president, is serving a twenty-seven-year sentence for plotting to seize power after losing the two thousand twenty-two election to Lula. ## Voting for future generations Marcio Marques, Soares's granddaughter's husband, said she was worried about the country, her family and future generations. She understood she was nearing the end of her life but felt compelled to vote. > She's got three great-grandchildren … and she understands she's nearing the end of her life. But she's worried about the country, about her family and about future generations. ## Bolsonaro flees to the US Five days after the election, Soares predicted Bolsonaro would flee abroad. Her granddaughter confirmed he had already gone. Soares correctly guessed he had gone to the United States. ## Key takeaway Elderly voters who participated in Brazil's October twenty-fifth runoff after missing the first round helped President Lula achieve an unprecedented comeback victory, with over one million older voters turning out to defeat far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.