SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s left-wing leader Luis Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in the run-off, but far-right incumbents voted on Sunday He did not concede defeat at night, raising concerns that he would contest the results.
The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) declared Lula the next president, with 50.9% voting for Bolsonaro with 49.1%. The 77-year-old Lula’s inauguration is scheduled for his January 1st.
It was a stunning comeback for a left-leaning former president and a punishing blow for Bolsonaro, the first Brazilian incumbent to lose a presidential election.
“So far, Bolsonaro has not called me to concede my victory. I don’t know if he will call or concede my victory,” Lula said in São Paulo. to tens of thousands of jubilant supporters celebrating his victory on Paulista Avenue.
In contrast to Bolsonaro’s silence, congratulations to Lula have been met by foreign leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. sent from
A Bolsonaro campaign source told Reuters the president would not make a public statement until Monday. Bolsonaro’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Last year, President Bolsonaro made unsubstantiated claims that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud and publicly discussed his refusal to accept the results of the vote.
Bolsonaro’s aide, MP Carla Zambelli, clearly supported the result, writing on Twitter:
Financial markets could have a volatile week, with investors weighing speculation about Lula’s cabinet and the risk of Bolsonaro questioning the outcome.
[1/6] Former President and Presidential Candidate Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil during an election night gathering on the day of the run-off election of the Brazilian presidential election on October 30, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil reacts. REUTERS/Mariana Grei
The vote was a denunciation of Mr Bolsonaro’s violent far-right populism, who stepped out of the back of Congress to create a new conservative coalition, but supported it after Brazil suffered the worst death toll in the coronavirus pandemic. Lost.
Biden joined a chorus of praise from leaders in Europe and Latin America, congratulating Lula on winning “free, fair and credible elections.”
International election observers said Sunday’s elections were conducted efficiently. An observer told Reuters that no flaws were found in integrity tests of the voting system conducted by military auditors.
Truckers believed to be Bolsonaro supporters blocked highways in four locations on Sunday in Mato Grosso state, a major grain-producing state, according to highway operators.
In one video circulating online, a man said a truck driver was planning to block a major highway and was calling for a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office.
pink tide rising
Lula’s victory strengthened a new “pink tide” in Latin America after landmark left-wing electoral victories in Colombia and Chile, marking a 20-year breakthrough for the region that introduced Lula to the world stage. It reflects political change.
As president for two terms from 2003 to 2010, he vowed to return to the state-led economic growth and social policies that helped lift millions out of poverty. Make Brazil a leader in global climate negotiations.
“It was four years of hate and denial of science,” said Ana Valeria Doria, 60, a doctor in Rio de Janeiro. “It won’t be easy for Lula to manage the department in this country. But for now it’s pure happiness.” Organized a strike against the military regime. His two terms as president were marked by a commodity-driven economic boom, and he resigned after gaining record popularity.
But his Workers Party has since been plagued by a deep recession and a record-breaking corruption scandal, leading to a 19-month prison sentence for bribery convictions that were overturned by the Supreme Court last year.
Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Ricardo Brito from Brasilia and Brian Ellsworth and Lisandra Paraguassu from São Paulo Editing by Brad Haynes, Lincoln Feast and Nick Macfie
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