India, Brazil to Jointly Champion Global South After Lula's Win

New Delhi, October 28: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his warm wishes following Lula's electoral victory, calling the Indian leader a friend.

Lula won the second round of Brazil's presidential runoff, beating right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro. The triumph gives him a fourth term at the helm of the country. Modi had quickly congratulated him after the result was declared.

Lula praised India's decision to take over the BRICS presidency in 2026. He said the two countries will keep cooperating in multilateral bodies to give the Global South a stronger voice.

Writing on X, Lula said he was filled with joy when he thought about his visit to India in February. During that visit, he noted, both nations agreed on new measures to deepen their strategic partnership.

Lula said the bilateral talks also gave special attention to boosting cooperation in trade, health and technology.

He further congratulated India for chairing BRICS in 2026 and said India is continuing the work Brazil carried out during its BRICS chairship last year.

Lula concluded with a commitment that India and Brazil will keep working together in BRICS and the G20. The aim, he said, is to protect multilateralism, raise the voice of the Global South and build a more just, inclusive and peaceful global order.

After the election, Modi had described Lula as a dear friend and emphasized the joint effort to amplify the voice of the Global South.

Official figures show Lula received 51.79 percent of the total valid votes, while Bolsonaro obtained 48.21 percent. Lula had been behind Bolsonaro after the first round but mounted a strong comeback in the second. Notably, this is the first time since 1988 that a candidate who lost the first round has won the presidential runoff in Brazil.