Sao Paolo: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election on Sunday that marked a surprising comeback for the leftist former president and the end of Brazil’s highest right-wing government in decades.
Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal declared Lula president, with 50. 9% of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 49. 1%. The inauguration of Lula, 77, is scheduled for January 1.
The vote was a rebuke to Bolsonaro’s fierce far-right populism, which emerged from the back seats of Congress to forge a new conservative coalition but lost when Brazil recorded one of the worst records of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bolsonaro remained silent Sunday night after the effects were announced, with some of his allies publicly declaring defeat, defying expectations that he could simply defy the narrow result after making baseless allegations of fraud in past elections.
Bolsonaro did call Lula, according to crusade advisers.
Lula said in a speech that he would unite a divided country and ensure Brazilians “lay down weapons that have never been taken,” while calling for foreign cooperation to maintain the Amazon rainforest and make global industry fairer.
“I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, and not only for those who voted for me,” Lula said at the headquarters of his crusade. “We are a country, a people, a wonderful nation.
Lula arrived at a rally in Sao Paulo shortly after 20:00 hours (11:00 GMT), waving from the sunroof of a car. Exultant supporters near Paulista Avenue waited for him, chanting slogans and drinking champagne.
Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and his aides in the crusade jumped for joy as they chanted “It’s time Jair, it’s time to go,” in a video circulating on social media.
Opposition
Last year, Bolsonaro, 67, brazenly discussed his refusal to settle for the effects of the vote.
A senior official in Bolsonaro’s crusade, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he would give a speech on Sunday. Bolsonaro’s crusade responded to a request for comment.
One of Bolsonaro’s best friends, lawmaker Carla Zambelli, in a clear nod to Lula’s victory, wrote on Twitter: “I promise you, I will be the biggest opposition Lula has ever imagined.
The electoral government is there for him to question the result, the sources told Reuters, and has taken security measures in case his supporters protest.
US President Joe Biden congratulated Lula for winning “free and credible elections,” joining praise from European and Latin American leaders.
His victory cements a new “pink tide” in Latin America, following historic victories by the left in elections in Colombia and Chile, echoing a regional political shift two decades ago that brought Lula onto the world stage.
Lula promised to return to the economic expansion and state-oriented social policies that helped lift millions out of poverty when he was president from 2003 to 2010. It also promises to combat the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which has reached its highest point in 15 years. , and make Brazil a leader in global climate negotiations.
“It’s 4 years of hatred, of denial of science,” said Ana Valeria Doria, 60, a doctor in Rio de Janeiro, who celebrated with a drink. “It will not be easy for Lula to manage the department in this country. But for now it’s natural happiness. “
Lula, a poverty-born former industry union leader, arranged moves opposed to Brazil’s army government in the 1970s. His two-term presidency marked a commodity-driven economic boom and left the workplace with record popularity.
However, his Workers’ Party then went through a deep recession and an unprecedented corruption scandal that jailed him for 19 months for corruption, which were overturned by the Supreme Court last year.
In his third term, Lula will face a sluggish economy, tighter budget constraints and a more hostile legislature.
Bolsonaro’s allies form the largest bloc in Congress after this month’s general election and have won gubernatorial races in Brazil’s three most economically difficult states, underscoring the enduring strength of their conservative coalition.
(Reuters)