Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been reelected as Brazil's president, should use his new term to tackle chronic human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today.
President Lula defeated the Liberal Party candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a runoff election on October 25, 2026, official results from the Superior Electoral Court show. Lula received 51.7 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 48.2 percent, with 99.9 percent of the ballots counted, according to the Superior Electoral Court.
"During his current term, President Lula has supported democratic institutions and made important progress on protecting forest and local communities who depend on it for their survival, but had a mixed record in other areas," said César Muñoz, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. "His administration should address the record high numbers of killings by the police and other public security problems, and more consistently support human rights policies at home and abroad."
News media reported reduced public transportation services in several states, which may have barred voters from reaching voting stations on October 25. Federal police were reportedly investigating possible electoral crimes. The Lula campaign asked for an extension in the voting time in some states due to those disruptions. The Bolsonaro campaign also asked for an extension in other areas of the country due to rain.
As the polls were closing, a Supreme Court justice extended the voting time for two hours. Shortly after, the Electoral Court, and later the Supreme Court justice, established that the extension applied to voting stations that were still open.
After taking office in January 2023, President Lula took important steps to repair some of the damage that the previous administration had inflicted on democratic institutions, the environment, and human rights protections overall.
Yet, chronic human rights problems continued to plague the country, including abuse by the police, which disproportionately affects Black Brazilians. Killings by police reached a record high-with 6,589 people killed in 2025-and had kept rising in 2026 as of September, driven by failed public policy strategies that have allowed the unchecked use of lethal force by police.
Abusive police practices undermine public security-a primary concern for Brazilians, according to many polls-by feeding mistrust and making communities less willing to collaborate with police, while fueling a cycle of violence that endangers both civilians and police officers. They also create an environment of impunity for excessive use of force in which police corruption and involvement with organized crime flourish.
While public security is primarily the responsibility of states in Brazil, the federal government has a crucial role to play in coordinating and promoting public security policies that are more effective at dismantling criminal organizations, protecting the public from violence, and upholding human rights.
An important measure to improve investigations that President Lula should support is to remove forensic services from police, to ensure independent analysis in police abuse cases and other crimes.
During an interview on October 15, President Lula defended trying and punishing as adults 16- and 17-year-old children accused of certain serious crimes. The measure would violate international law, which says that children should be subject to justice systems that are distinct from those for adults. That proposal would also undermine rather than strengthen the country's efforts to reduce crime, Human Rights Watch said. Children who break the law can and should be held accountable, but in an individualized manner that promotes their rehabilitation.
On the environment, President Lula should reverse inconsistencies that endanger the rights of Brazilians. His administration brought Amazon deforestation to the lowest level on record, according to official data, and resumed demarcating Indigenous territories. Yet, it took insufficient steps to regulate the cattle industry, historically the largest driver of deforestation and its related human rights abuses.
His administration also initiated a long-awaited national program to reduce the use of pesticides. However, the administration continued to allow the use of highly hazardous pesticides, many of which are banned for use in the European Union and elsewhere because of proven harm to health and the environment. This puts Brazilians at risk of acute poisoning and other serious health impacts, particularly Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and small farmers' communities.
Major corruption scandals involving a range of politicians, political parties, and institutions have unfolded in recent years. The Lula administration should promote measures to strengthen the fight against corruption, including working with Congress to ensure transparency and oversight over budget allocations.
Other long-standing human rights problems that President Lula should prioritize include gender-based violence, severe obstacles to abortion access, violence against human rights and environmental defenders, and the institutionalization of people with disabilities due to lack of sufficient community-based support services.
Some incidents marred the electoral campaign. Non-profit organizations compiled 134 cases of threats and violence against candidates and politicians from various parties, in the first 50 days of electoral campaign.
Brazilian media also reported that Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, restricted some content and features that promoted Lula's candidacy in the lead up to the election. Meta said it had experienced technical issues but contended that it did not favor one candidate over another. Brazil's electoral court ordered Meta to take measures to ensure equal treatment of the candidates.
Meta's Oversight Board-an external body that can overturn Meta's moderation decisions and provides non-binding policy guidance-expressed concern about recurrent failures in the company's "election integrity efforts," citing the "breakdown" that harmed Lula's campaign.
"President Lula, who cannot run for office again in 2030, has a chance to leave a mark on the country by seeking solutions to long-standing problems that make a real difference in protecting rights and liberties for all Brazilians," Muñoz said.
