Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was re-elected against all expectations on Sunday, but his conservative rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, refused to accept the loss and said he would seek to have the vote annulled.
Lula’s dramatic comeback meant Brazil had not followed Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, all backed by US President Donald Trump, in swinging to the right.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Lula’s re-election as a triumph for “democracy and multilateralism,” joining a slew of world leaders who welcomed the leftist figurehead’s return for an unprecedented fourth term.
A woman wears a flag featuring an image of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva outside the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador, Brazil, on Sunday.
Photo: AFP
Lula, who turns 81 today, defied projections to defeat Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, and win an unprecedented fourth term.
He won 51.8 percent of the votes to 48.2 percent for Flavio Bolsonaro, with Lula pulling about 4.4 million more votes, official results showed.
Lula was warmly congratulated by the leaders of left-wing governments across Central America, including Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela.
“Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X.
Right-wing governments in Chile, Ecuador and Peru said they wanted to work toward common goals with the region’s economic powerhouse.
China echoed that sentiment, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his friend Lula his “heartiest congratulations.”
Fireworks and vuvuzelas rang out in Rio de Janeiro, while thousands of people dressed in red, the color of Lula’s Workers’ Party, streamed into the streets of Sao Paulo to celebrate.
“People went to vote, because we managed to convince them that voting was very important for ensuring democracy in the country,” Lula said in his first comments after the win.
Sunday’s vote was marked by confusion after a Supreme Court ruling extended voting by two hours, because some polling stations had already closed.
The move came at the request of Lula, who complained that buses had been pulled from circulation in various cities, barring citizens from voting.
Flavio Bolsonaro also requested an extension in some regions due to heavy rains, but he described the decision as “unacceptable” and a “dirty trick.”
“It is impossible to recognize the results. I am going to request the annulment of these elections,” he said, stone-faced, in a brief speech in Brasilia.
Bolsonaro’s father is serving a 27-year jail term for attempting a coup after his loss to Lula in the country’s last election in 2022.
No candidate who lost the first round has gone on to win the second in Brazil since 1989, the first direct election after the end of the military dictatorship.