Brazil has a new President after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeats Jair Bolsonaro

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defeated Jair Bolsonaro in the elections to become the new President of Brazil.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been elected as the new president of Brazil this evening, Sunday, October 30. The veteran leftist politician won by what was described by election officials as one of the tightest margins in history.

At one point in the contest he was neck-and-neck with the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro but eventually emerged with 50.83 per cent of the votes. Bolsonaro had to settle for 49.17 per cent but it now remains to be seen if he will accept the result without a fight, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

He has a legion of armed supporters who might not take kindly to the result, although last Friday 28, Bolsonaro himself pledged that he would respect the result whichever way it went.

Today’s victory, once officially declared, will see Lula take on his third term in office. It is a truly remarkable political turnaround for him considering he was in prison less than five years ago. Controversial corruption charges that had been levelled against the former president were eventually annulled by the Supreme Court.

Leading up to today’s election, opinion polls in the country had mostly given Lula the lead. He previously appeared to be heading for victory in the first round of the election on October 2, claiming 48 per cent of the votes, with Bolsonaro lagging behind with 43 per cent.

One of the first to congratulate Lula on his victory was US President Joe Biden. In a White House press release, he said: “I send my congratulations to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his election to be the next president of Brazil following free, fair, and credible elections. I look forward to working together to continue the cooperation between our two countries in the months and years ahead”.

Quick congratulations from Biden, noting election “free, fair, and credible.” #Brazil pic.twitter.com/fblXeE1csG

— Patricia Zengerle (@ReutersZengerle) October 30, 2022

Este país precisa de paz e de união. Esse povo não quer mais brigar. É hora de baixar as armas, que jamais deveriam ter sido empunhadas. Armas matam. E nós escolhemos a vida.

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 31, 2022

O desafio é imenso. É preciso reconstruir este país em todas as suas dimensões. Na política, na economia, na gestão pública, na harmonia institucional, nas relações internacionais e, sobretudo, no cuidado com os mais necessitados.

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 31, 2022

A partir de 1º de janeiro de 2023 vou governar para 215 milhões de brasileiros, e não apenas para aqueles que votaram em mim. Não existem dois Brasis. Somo um único país, um único povo, uma grande nação.

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 31, 2022

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