South America bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal. Before: journeyman journalist with NYT, Washington Post, Newark Star-Ledger and the late, great NY Newsday
Bogota, Colombia
Joined January 2014
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TOP of @WSJ page: For many Brazilians, the election was more than about keeping da Silva in power. They saw a vote for him as a vote to keep the Bolsonaros out and preserve the country’s hard-won democracy. wsj.com/world/americas/lula-…
Juan Forero retweeted
Lula wins, and it wasn’t particularly close — 3.5% or more than 4 million votes.
It’s an epic comeback and we will need time to fully understand it. But one thing is clear — the extension in voting hours was not the difference maker in this race.
The leader of Cuba, which hasn't held a presidential election since 1948, congratulates Lula on his win in Brazil.
Good moment for Lula to call for Cuba to permit a free and fair vote.
Estimado hermano @LulaOficial, te felicito en nombre del gobierno y pueblo cubanos por esta victoria histórica que garantiza la continuidad del camino de paz, soberanía y justicia social emprendido por el pueblo brasileño bajo tu liderazgo.
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Lula's victory sets the stage for renewed tensions with Washington. Following a string of victories by conservative candidates from Chile to Colombia to Peru, Brazil's decision to stick with the left denies President Trump a powerful ally in Latin America.
Da Silva’s victory puts him on course to complete 16 non-consecutive years in office, matching Angela Merkel's tenure as German chancellor and exceeding that of any U.S. president. The victory also marks another chapter in da Silva's bitter struggle with the Bolsonaro family.
SÃO PAULO–President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva clung to power by orchestrating a surprise victory over Flávio Bolsonaro, winning an unprecedented fourth term and cementing his place as one of the world's longest-serving democratically elected leaders. The final count: 51.8 to 48.3
President Lula da Silva’s chance of winning hinged on getting disillusioned Brazilians who'd skipped voting to cast a ballot, Samantha Pearson of @WSJ explained this week.
That's what apparently has happened. With 75% of votes counted, Lula has 51.1%.
wsj.com/world/americas/lula-…
Juan Forero retweeted
“I cannot lead the process from abroad,” Maria Corina Machado told me in an interview in Panama City as she prepared to return.
She told @WSJ about how she plans to lay the groundwork for speedy elections, in which she intends to run youtube.com/watch?v=h7qD6Qki…
La presencia de Machado pone sobre los hombros de Rubio y Trump la responsabilidad de garantizar su seguridad.
No es difícil imaginar que muera repentinamente en un “accidente” automovilístico o a causa de una misteriosa enfermedad, según @WSJopinion
wsj.com/opinion/maria-corina…
The State Dept’s No 2 on 👇@MariaCorinaYA who this weekend made it home to challenge Delcy’s regime
What will Venezuela's María Corina Machado do now that she's home?
She told @WSJ weeks ago: “I see myself traveling all across the country, all the way to the tiny communities—sitting down, listening to mothers, to workers, to farmers, to businessmen.." wsj.com/world/americas/venez…
In an interview with @WSJ in Aug., Machado said that she “cannot lead the process from abroad.”
She envisioned crisscrossing Venezuela’s 23 states, rebooting a grassroots network to press for the transition to democracy from the Maduro allies who rule.
wsj.com/world/americas/venez…
Machado, who in Dec. secretly escaped Venezuela by boat, left Panama Thursday. After crossing Colombia, she entered Venezuela this weekend and appeared at a shrine in Barquisimeto on Sunday. An ecstatic crowd of surrounded her, shouting her name. wsj.com/world/americas/venez…
Juan Forero retweeted
Una gran noticia para todos los venezolanos de bien. Su regreso secreto y su clandestinidad muestran simultáneamente su enorme coraje y lo represivo que es el régimen tutelado. Si el régimen le hace algún daño, la responsabilidad es de @realDonaldTrump y @SecRubio.
¡Venezuela! Me emociona muchísimo anunciarles que nuestra líder, mi querida Maria Corina, está en territorio venezolano.
Hoy es un día muy importante para los venezolanos. Nuestra voz soberana retorna con ella para liderar y encaminar este proceso!
Muy pronto estaré con ustedes y con ella para que nuestro país avance verdaderamente hacia la libertad
Ustedes lo saben, esto es hasta el final.
A few weeks ago, Nobel laureate María Corina Machado told Vera Bergengruen of @WSJ she was going to head home and lead the transition from authoritarian state to democracy. Today it's begun.
“I cannot lead the process from abroad,” Machado had said.
wsj.com/world/americas/insid…
María Corina Machado's return presents challenges for the U.S.-backed Delcy regime and complicates transition talks Washington wants with another opposition leader, Dinorah Figuera. Machado has said she was shut out of those negotiations. wsj.com/world/americas/venez… via @WSJ
Days away from turning 81, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is fighting his last presidential election. He is narrowly trailing Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, his bitter political rival. At stake: Latin America’s biggest country. wsj.com/world/americas/lula-…
Brazil votes today. Its next president will either be a vengeful nepo-baby or a doddering leftie.
No matter the outcome, Brazil seems destined for another four years of dysfunction.
A devastating assessment:
economist.com/briefing/2026/…
