The victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s presidential election has electrified Spain’s left-wing parties, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez framing the result as a harbinger of political change at home ahead of a pivotal national vote on November 29.
Sánchez was among the first to react on social media, writing on X that “what happened in Brazil will happen in Spain. The renewal of global progressivism has just begun.” His message celebrated Lula’s defeat of right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.
Government Ministers Rally Behind the Message
Several cabinet ministers echoed the prime minister’s optimism. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares offered congratulations in an interview on Las Mañanas de RNE, saying the result proved that “the only poll that matters is the one on election day — that is true for Brazil and for Spain.”
Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the Brazilian outcome as “a breath of hope and a signal that the cycle is beginning to change,” expressing hope that Spain would follow the same path from November 29.
Ángel Víctor Torres, minister for territorial policy and democratic memory, also pointed to a left-wing “renewal” in Spain. “I feel it, I notice it, I sense it in the streets, in the way people approach us and encourage us,” he said.
A Victory ‘Against the Entire Reactionary Machine’
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz congratulated Lula, declaring: “He has done it again. Against all odds and against the entire reactionary machine, Lula wins the presidency of Brazil. It is a victory for the workers of Brazil and the world.”
Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy hailed the result as “an example for the world,” arguing that “a conscious and organized people knows how to defeat the most powerful adversaries, the oligarchs and the far right that serves as their front.”
Irene Montero, a candidate for the left-wing Podemos party, added that Lula had won “against the owners of the world.”
Stakes Ahead of Spain’s November Vote
The enthusiastic reactions underscore the symbolic weight Spain’s governing left has placed on the Brazilian result, casting it as evidence that progressive parties can overcome right-wing and far-right challengers. Whether that momentum translates into electoral success on November 29 remains the central question facing Sánchez’s coalition.
