Lula wins Brazilian election

Leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election.

The Supreme Electoral Court declared Lula president with 50.9% of votes against 49.1% for Bolsonaro. 

It was a stunning comeback for the leftist former president and a punishing blow to Bolsonaro, the first Brazilian incumbent to lose a presidential election.

‘So far, Bolsonaro has not called me to recognize my victory, and I don’t know if he will call or if he will recognize my victory,’ Lula told supporters in São Paulo.

Congratulations for Lula poured in from foreign leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Last year Bolsonaro discussed refusing to accept the election results, making claims that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud.

Bolsonaro forged a novel conservative coalition, but he lost support as Brazil experienced one of the worst death tolls of the Covid-19 pandemic.

International election observers said Sunday’s election was conducted efficiently. 

Lula’s win consolidates a leftist tide in Latin America, after leftist victories in Colombia and Chile.

He has vowed a return to state-driven economic growth and social policies that helped lift millions out of poverty during his two terms as president, from 2003 to 2010. He promises to combat destruction of the Amazon rainforest and make Brazil a leader in global climate talks.

His two-term presidency was marked by a commodity-driven economic boom and he left office with record popularity.

However, his Workers Party’s record was later tarred by a deep recession and a huge corruption scandal that jailed him for 19 months. His conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021.