In a close vote, former left-wing leader wins Brazil’s presidency, but the far-right incumbent is yet to acknowledge.
Lula won 50.9% of the votes after a divisive campaign in which two bitter rivals from opposing political parties faced off.
That was sufficient to defeat Jair Bolsonaro, whose proponents were confident of triumph.
However, the divisions illustrated by this election are unlikely to disappear.
It is a spectacular comeback for a politician who was unable to run in the last presidential race in 2018 due to being imprisoned and barred from running.
Lula was found guilty of accepting a bribe from a Brazilian construction company in exchange for contracts with Petrobras, Brazil’s state oil company.
Lula was imprisoned for 580 days before his conviction was overturned and he returned to politics. “They attempted to bury me alive, but here I am,” he declared as he began his victory speech.
The77-year-old left-winger who was a former metal worker served as President from 2003 to 2010. In 2018, he was imprisoned, but his conviction was later overturned.
Opinion polls projected that he’d win the presidency from the beginning, but when his lead during the first round was much narrower than projected, many Brazilians began to question their exactness.
Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters had full confidence in his victory, buoyed by their candidate’s claims that “the establishment” as well as the media were opposed to him and thus underplaying his support.
The victory of the left-wing leaders is likely to irritate these Bolsonaro supporters, who habitually refer to Lula as a “thief” and argue that the annulment of his prosecution does not mean he was innocent, only that the appropriate legal process was not followed.
Whereas Jair Bolsonaro lost, legislators close to him gained a majority in Congress, implying that Lula’s policies will face stiff opposition in the legislative body.
However, Lula, who served two terms as president from January 2003 to December 2010, is no stranger to forming political coalitions.
He picked old rival Geraldo Alckmin, who ran against him in previous elections, as his vice-presidential running mate.
Lula’s strategy of running a “unity” ticket appears to have paid off, bringing in voters who might not have voted for his Workers’ Party normally.
He struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, asserting he will indeed govern for all Brazilians, not only those who elected for him.
“This nation urgently requires peace and unity. This population no longer wishes to fight “He stated.
Jair Bolsonaro has yet to accept defeat. The campaign had been tense in part due to the far-right president having questioned the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system without proving it.
This fueled fears that he would refuse to accept the outcome if it did not go in his favor.
Even so, a day before the 2nd round, he stated: “There is no doubt about it. Whoever has the most votes wins the election. That is the essence of democracy.”
Jair Bolsanaro the 67 years old Far-right leader was a Former army captain and was Running for a second consecutive term. He placed unsubstantiated doubts on the credibility of Brazil’s electronic voting system
On election day, police stopped buses transporting voters to the polls in what Lula’s campaign claimed was an attempt to deter them from casting a vote.
Alexandre de Moraes, the head of the electoral court, ordered that all roadblocks as well as inspections be removed.
He stated that, although some voters were delayed, none were prevented from voting. However, the incidents significantly heightened tensions.
There is a lot of speculation about when and what Mr Bolsonaro will say now that it is official that he received fewer votes than Lula.
The election has been watched closely not only in Brazil, but also internationally, with environmental activists particularly concerned that another 4 years of a Bolsonaro administration would have a negative impact on the environment with further deforestation of the Amazon.
In his victory speech, Lula alluded to these concerns, asserting that he was “open to international collaboration to preserve the Amazon.”
“Today, we announce to the world that Brazil has returned. It is far too large to be consigned to the sad role of global pariah “He then made a dig at his opponent.
However, at the heart of his speech was a pledge to combat hunger, that has been on the rise in Brazil affecting over 33 million people.
Lifting millions of Brazilians out of poverty was critical to Lula’s prominence during his initial two terms in office.
However, in a post-pandemic economy, locating the funds to reconstruct that feat will be difficult, particularly if he is hindered by hostility in Congress.
