SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for “peace and unity” after narrowly winning a divisive runoff Sunday, capping a remarkable political comeback by defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who has yet to settle for winning.
The victory marks a striking shift for the charismatic but tarnished leftist heavyweight, who left the job in 2010 as Brazil’s most popular president, fell out of favor when he was jailed for 18 months on questionable corruption charges, which have since been quashed, and now returns. for an unprecedented third term at age 77.
All eyes will now be on the reaction of Bolsonaro and his supporters to the outcome after months of accusations (evidence) that Brazil’s electronic voting formula is riddled with fraud and that courts, media and other establishments have conspired to oppose his far-right movement.
“This country desires peace and unity,” Lula said to cheers of a victory speech in Sao Paulo.
“The challenge is immense,” he said of the looming cadres, mentioning a famine crisis, the economy, a bitter political department and deforestation in the Amazon.
Later, he addressed a packed crowd of thousands of supporters who flooded the red-clad city center of the Workers’ Party, promising that “democracy is back. “
Bolsonaro, 67, remained silent in the hours after the result was announced.
“Around the world, the profligate president would have already called to admit defeat. He hasn’t called yet, I don’t know if he will call and concede,” Lula told the large crowd.
Some Bolsonaro supporters, amassed in the capital Brasilia, refused to settle for the results.
“The other Brazilians are not going to swallow a fake election and hand our country over to a thief,” said Ruth da Silva Barbosa, a 50-year-old teacher.
Election officials declared the election of Lula, who won 50. 9 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 49. 1 percent with more than 99. 9 percent of polling stations, in the closest race since Brazil returned to democracy after the 1964-1985 dictatorship.
Bolsonaro, the virulent staunch conservative nicknamed the “tropical Trump,” becomes the first sitting president to be re-elected in the post-dictatorship era.
Without a word from Bolsonaro, some of his top allies gave the public impression of being satisfied with the results. Among them was the president of the reduced space of Congress, Arthur Lira, who said it was time to “reach out to our adversaries, debate, build bridges. “
Congratulations for Lula came from US President Joe Biden, as well as French, British and European leaders, and the governments of Russia and China. Leaders from across Latin America also presented their congratulations.
Lula’s supporters across the country erupted at a birthday party on Sunday night.
“We have had 4 years of a genocidal and hateful government,” Lula voter Maria Clara, a 26-year-old student, said in a victory in downtown Rio.
“Today democracy has won, and the opportunity to dream of a country again. “
In Brasilia, the tearful crowd of Bolsonaro supporters, dressed in yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag that the former army captain followed as their own, knelt down to pray.
Bolsonaro won 4 years ago on a wave of outrage contrary to usual politics, but he has been criticized for his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 680,000 lives in Brazil, as a weak, polarization-style economy. and attacks on democratic institutions.
Whatever the incumbent’s reaction, Lula will face demanding situations when he takes office on Jan. 1.
Bolsonaro’s far-right allies scored major victories in legislative and gubernatorial races in the first of the Oct. 2 election and will be the biggest force in Congress.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro’s former infrastructure minister, Tarcisio de Freitas, won the governorship of Sao Paulo, the country’s most populous and wealthiest state.
In his victory speech, Lula spoke of racial and gender equality and the urgent need to address a hunger crisis affecting 33. 1 million Brazilians.
“Today we are telling the world that Brazil is back,” he said, adding that the country is “ready to resume its position in the fight against the climate crisis, especially the Amazon. “
He pledged to “fight for 0 deforestation. “
Lula inherits a deeply divided country, with an incredibly complicated global economic scenario that bears no resemblance to the “supercycle” of raw fabrics that allowed him to lead Latin America’s largest economy through a decisive boom in the 2000s.
Lula’s victory is “one of the biggest comebacks in political history,” tweeted Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly.
But the president-elect will face a hostile Congress and have “a government,” Winter told AFP.
None of this mattered at this time to Lula’s extremely cheerful followers.
“Brazil is beginning to go through four years of darkness. We were going through so much trouble, so much fear,” Larissa Meneses, a 34-year-old software developer, told AFP at a joyful victory party in Sao Paulo.
“Now, with Lula’s victory, I actually think things will start to improve. It’s a day for a lot of laughter. “