Lula Wins Brasilian Presidential Election

Lula Wins Brazilian Presidential Election as Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede BRAZIL Brazil Leftwing Brazilian incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a surprise comeback Sunday, defeating rightwing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro to win the presidential election, even as the conservative candidate refused to concede the race. With 100 percent of the vote counted, Brazil’s electoral court said Lula, 80, won the second round of the election with 51.8 percent of the vote. The result was a shock to Bolsonaro supporters after the Brazilian leader lost the first round to the challenger earlier this month by more than 2 million votes. After the results were announced, a huge roar echoed on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, with cars blaring their horns and residents streaming onto the streets, cheering and setting off fireworks in celebration. The mood among Bolsonaro supporters was somber and angry. On Sunday, Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled. At issue is a ruling by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin just minutes before polls were scheduled to close to keep them open for two more hours following requests by both candidates. Lula asked for the extension after issues with buses that provide transportation to polls in São Paulo and Salvador, his strongholds. Bolsonaro’s request came after heavy rains in Brazil’s south, where he led the polls, hampered voting. The decision delayed tallying the votes by two hours. “It’s impossible to recognize the results of the election in the context of these things that happened,” Bolsonaro said. Analysts say it is unclear if Bolsonaro’s complaint could meet the legal threshold to annul the results. Bolsonaro also has the right to request a recount if he provides evidence of fraud. Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after he lost the 2022 presidential election to Lula. Meanwhile, analysts predict a difficult term for Lula: He faces the most conservative Congress since the country’s return to democracy in the 1980s. Combined, Bolsonaro's Liberal Party and its allies could control more than 280 seats in the lower house and up to 50 in the Senate, enough for comfortable majorities in both chambers. Still, Lula’s triumph bucks a conservative wave in the region after recent victories for rightwing presidential candidates allied with US President Donald Trump, for example in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. Lula will be sworn in for his fourth term on Jan. 5, 2027.