Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the leftist President of Brazil, has been elected President of the country for the fourth time by defeating his right-wing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro. According to the results announced by the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court, Lula won with approximately 51.8% of the votes against 48.2% for his opponent.
Tense Results and Protests
Flávio Bolsonaro, who considers himself the loser of this election, announced that he would demand the annulment of the results and, in a brief speech to his supporters, indicated that what happened during the election was "unacceptable." This victory for Lula is considered historic and significant as he is the first presidential candidate in Brazil since the return of democracy in the 1980s to win in the second round despite trailing in the first round.
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Tense Elections
The elections held on Sunday, October 25, took place in a tense atmosphere. Following Lula's campaign complaint about disruptions in public transport and difficulties for voters accessing polling stations, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court extended the voting time by two hours. Bolsonaro's campaign also requested an extension due to heavy rainfall and related problems in some areas. This decision, made in the final moments of the scheduled voting time, caused confusion in some polling stations, and the counting of votes was temporarily halted.
Lula, 80, was present in São Paulo on Sunday evening to monitor the results, while Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old senator, followed the results in Brasília, the capital. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of Jair Bolsonaro, the former President of Brazil, who has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for involvement in a coup plot and is serving his sentence under house arrest due to health issues.
In the first round of elections, held on October 4, Flávio Bolsonaro won with over 47% of the votes against about 45% for Lula. Donald Trump, the President of the United States at the time, described the result as "a very big victory." However, the defeat in the first round led to increased mobilization among Lula's supporters, resulting in large rallies in support of him.
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