Vladmir Putin’s ally Jair Bolsonaro loses bid for second term as President of Brazil in a fiercely contested presidential vote
H.E Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the new president of Brazil, after defeating his rightwing rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, by a razor-thin margin.The leftist former leader widely known as “Lula,” won 50.83% of the votes, with over 98% of the votes counted in a fiercely contested run-off election on Sunday.
Jair Bolsonaro, who mustered 49.17% votes will be denied a second term. The two candidates had previously gone head to head in a first round of voting on October 2, but neither gained more than half of the votes, forcing Sunday’s runoff vote, which has become a referendum on two starkly different visions for Brazil.
Lula da Silva supporters thronged São Paulo Avenida Paulista on Sunday evening after polls closed. The mood was celebratory even before the results were called, with people setting off flares when he was declared winner by the country’s election authority.Many had tears in their eyes, telling Public Opinions that they were hopeful for the country, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty and a country facing international diplomatic weakness.Brazil once a powerful nation has been off the Global stage.
Both candidates had used this election to attack one another at every turn, and rising anger has overshadowed the polls and clashes among their supporters left many voters feeling fearful of what is to come. Voters in Sao Paulo told Public Opinions that they were keen to end this election season as soon as possible so the country can move on.
While there were no reports of political violence on Sunday, Lula da Silva allies accused the police of blocking buses and cars carrying Lula voters from getting to voting sites. However, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which runs Brazil’s elections, said no one had been prevented from voting and declined to extend voting hours. The Federal Highway Police said they had complied with court orders, it added.
Lula da Silva was president for two terms, from 2003 to 2006 and 2007 to 2011, where he led the country through a commodities boom that helped fund huge social welfare programs and lifted millions out of poverty.
He left office with a 90% approval rating – a record tarnished however by Brazil’s largest corruption probe, dubbed “Operation Car Wash,” which led to charges against hundreds of high-ranking politicians and businesspeople across Latin America. He was convicted for corruption and money laundering in 2017, but a court threw out his conviction in March 2021, clearing the way for his political rebound.
Bolsonaro ran for president in 2018 with the conservative Liberal Party, campaigning as a political outsider and anti-corruption candidate, and gaining the moniker “Trump of the Tropics.” A divisive figure, Bolsonaro has become known for his bombastic statements and conservative agenda, which is supported by important evangelical leaders in the country.
But poverty has grown during his presidency, and his popularity levels took a hit over his handling of the pandemic, which he dismissed as the “little flu,” before the virus killed more than 680,000 people in the country.
Environmentalists have warned that the future of the rainforest could be at stake in this election. Bolsonaro’s government has become known for its support of ruthless exploitation of land in the Amazon, leading to record deforestation figures.
LEADERS SEND THEIR WISHES
World leaders congratulated Lula da Silva on his victory.
United States President Joe Biden called the election “free, fair, and credible,” saying he looked “forward to working together to continue the cooperation between our two countries in the months and years ahead.”
Regional leaders described his win as a “time of hope.”
“Your victory opens a new time for the history of Latin America. A time of hope and future that begins today. Here you have a partner to work with and dream big about the good life of our peoples,” President of Argentina Alberto Fernández said on Twitter.
French President Emmanuel Macron described it as “a new chapter in the history of Brazil. Together, we will join forces to face the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries.”