Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has endorsed fellow Socialist and incumbent President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for the upcoming October 25 presidential runoff in the South American nation.
“Lula represents a Brazil that fights against injustice and inequality, that expands rights, and that defends democracy against authoritarianism,” Sánchez wrote in a Spanish-language social media post on Wednesday evening.
“That Brazil deserves to continue advancing toward a future of hope and progress,” he continued. “That is why we offer all our support to Lula da Silva.”
Sánchez concluded his message with the Portuguese word for strength, Força.
The two Socialist heads of state notably stand as some of the last staunchly “progressive” governments amid a rise in neighboring conservative governments and movements in their respective continents.
Pedro Sánchez’s endorsement of Lula comes a little over a week before the incumbent socialist President faces off against front-running conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s October 25 presidential runoff election.
Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, defied all polls and defeated Lula in the first round of the election on October 4 — however, he did not attain the required 50-percent vote threshold to win in the first round, triggering the upcoming runoff between him and Lula.
The first round of polls released after the October 4 election indicates that Flavio Bolsonaro is ahead of Lula. Brazilian outlets have repeatedly observed that no candidate who came in second place in the first round of a presidential election has managed to win in the runoff ever since Brazil returned to democracy in the 1980s.
Lula, 80, is seeking to be reelected for a fourth presidential term. While the socialist president recently affirmed that he is the only “anti-system” candidate in the race, he has served as president across three different terms after winning the 2002, 2006, and 2022 elections, totaling 12 years in office. Lula also unsuccessfully ran for president for three separate times in 1989, 1994, and 1998.
Socialist Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez and Socialist President of Brazil Lula da Silva attend the Global Progressive Mobilisation at Fira Barcelona on April 18, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images)
The Brazilian President was convicted of misappropriating government funds and had been banned from running for office — however, the Brazilian Supreme Court overturning the ban and allowed him to run again in 2022, narrowly defeating Jair Bolsonaro in a highly controversial election.
Sánchez, a highly unpopular Prime Minister that just got booed and called a “Son of a b***h” by angry Spaniards during Spain’s National Day parade, called for a snap election that will take place on November 29. In addition to the fierce rejection of his administration’s response to the mass migrant invasion of Ceuta, Sánchez’s inner circle has found itself embroiled in a series of ongoing corruption cases this year — some of which involve his wife, Begoña Gómez.
Both the Brazilian President and the Spanish Prime Minister have been critical of the United States and President Donald Trump — particularly with regard to the war in Iran. In April, Lula reportedly affirmed to Sánchez, “I understand when you say no to war” during his official visit to the European nation.
In addition to the first round of the 2026 presidential election, Brazil also held its general elections on October 4, resulting in what is now being described as the best electoral performance of the Brazilian right-wing in four decades, with a conservative majority in both chambers of the Brazilian Congress.
The Liberal Party (PL), led by Flávio Bolsonaro, will become the largest bloc at both the Lower House and Senate once the recently-elected lawmakers take office next year.
