In a stunning comeback for the leftist candidate, former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro on October 30. This marked the end of the nation’s most right-wing administration in decades.
With 99.1% of the voting machines counted, Mr. Lula had 50.8% of the vote against Mr. Bolsonaro’s 49.2%, which the Supreme Electoral Court deemed sufficient to “mathematically define” the winner of the election.
The decision was a response to Mr. Bolsonaro’s fiery far-right populism, who emerged from Congress’ back benches to form a radical conservative coalition but lost popularity as Brazil had one of the highest death tolls from the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a fiercely divided Brazil on Sunday, Mr. Lula urged “peace and solidarity,” asserting that the nation was no longer a pariah on the international stage and stressing the importance of a “alive Amazon.”
Mr. Lula spoke to both fans and opponents in his victory speech, emphasising the need for “a Brazil of peace, democracy, and opportunity.”
He discussed issues of racial and gender equality as well as the pressing need to address the food crisis impacting 33.1 million Brazilians.
He assured that “the economic wheel will spin again.”
Nobody wants to live in a country that is permanently at war with itself, the 77-year-old stated. “Peace and harmony are needed in this nation. This populace no longer desires conflict.
“Today we announce Brazil’s return to the world. It is too big to be consigned to this miserable position of world outcast.
The future of the Amazon rainforest and its effects on the urgent global climate emergency have focused everyone’s attention on the election’s outcome in western capitals.
In an election characterised by personal assaults and economic worries, the topic was given less attention.
Mr. Lula declared that Brazil was prepared to reclaim its place in the fight against the climate crisis by defending all of our biomes, particularly the Amazon forest. “A living Amazon is essential to Brazil and the planet.”
In addition to congratulating Mr. Lula, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that the two presidents would “renew links of friendship between their countries.”
In a statement released on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated the Brazilian President-elect on his victory in “free, fair, and legitimate elections,” and said he looked forward to continuing bilateral collaboration.
After historic leftist triumphs in Colombia and Chile’s elections, his victory solidifies a fresh “pink tide” in Latin America and echoes a regional political change that propelled Mr. Lula to international prominence twenty years ago.
Born into poverty, Mr. Lula was a former union leader who in the 1970s spearheaded strikes against Brazil’s military regime. A commodity-driven economic boom characterised his two terms in office as president, and he left with a record level of support.
However, his Workers Party was eventually tarnished by a severe recession and a corruption scandal that set new records and resulted in a 19-month prison sentence for bribery charges that were later reversed by the Supreme Court last year.
Mr. Lula will deal with a slow economy, stiffer budgetary restrictions, and a more hostile Congress in his third term. Following this month’s general election, which demonstrated the enduring power of his conservative coalition, Mr. Bolsonaro’s allies now make up the largest group in Congress.
Mr. Bolsonaro has made bogus allegations of electoral fraud time and time again, and he publicly considered rejecting the results of the election last year. Election officials are preparing for him to contest the results, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. This includes security measures in case his supporters demonstrate in the streets.
Voting is done electronically, and the results were made public two hours after polls closed at 5 p.m.
On January 1, Mr. Lula will start working there.
