The leftist candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (50.88 percent) has won by a narrow margin over his rival and current Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro (49.12 percent) with 99.63 percent counted, thus strengthening his chances of a comeback after Bolsonaro was ahead at the beginning of the count.
Lula da Silva was considered the winner of the election shortly before 8 p.m., with 98.91 percent of the votes counted, after receiving more than 59 million votes. Later, the Superior Electoral Court acknowledged his victory at 00.00 hours.
With this result, Bolsonaro becomes the first Brazilian president not to be reelected after a term of office that began in January 2019 and has been marked, among other issues, by his controversial management of the pandemic.
The election day closes a tense campaign of political violence and polarization for a country that comes out very divided and with a president who will be 77 years old when he takes office. It will be his third time in power after his two terms in office from 2003-2010.
STATE ELECTIONS On the other hand, at the state level, this Sunday the government has also been decided with mixed results for the candidates supported by each of the contenders at the federal level. The most relevant state, Sao Paulo, will go to Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans, 52.42 percent), Bolsonaro’s ally, who won against Fernando Haddad (Workers’ Party, 47.58 percent).
De Freitas, Bolsonaro’s former Minister of Infrastructure, puts an end with his victory to almost 30 years of hegemony of the conservative Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in a further symptom of the political polarization that Brazil is experiencing.
The new governor will also have a like-minded state congress. De Freitas was born in Rio de Janeiro and has lived most of his life in Brasilia. Sao Paulo is the richest and most populated state in Brazil.
In the other eleven state races there are mixed results. The PT won in Bahia with Jeronimo Rodrigues, thus ousting ACM Neto, candidate of Union Brasil. This party won in Amazonas with Wilson Lima and in Rondônia with Colonel Marcos Rocha, who revalidated his position.
Joao Azevedo (Brazilian Socialist Party) will continue as governor of Paraíba after declaring himself neutral in the contest between Bolsonaro and Lula. Paulo Dantas (Brazilian Democratic Movement) will also continue to govern in Alagoas with Lula’s support, while Bolsonaro scores in Santa Catarina, where Jorginho Mello (Liberal Party) has won over Décio Lima (PT) and will continue to lead the region.
INTERNATIONAL LEADERS CONGRATULATE LULA DA SILVA The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, shared a post on his Twitter account in which he congratulated the PT candidate for winning the presidency of Argentina.
«Congratulations Lula! Your victory opens a new time for the history of Latin America. A time of hope and future that begins today. Here you have a partner to work and dream big for the good life of our peoples. After so many injustices you have lived through, the people of Brazil have elected you and democracy has triumphed. Latin America dreams», he said.
The Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has also expressed his joy for the electoral result. «Lula won, blessed people of Brazil. There will be equality and humanism,» he wrote in a post on the same social network.
In the same vein, the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has also celebrated the sense expressed at the polls. «Lula. Joy!», he posted. Likewise, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, who has written a terse «Viva Lula», has also expressed his opinion.
European leaders have also expressed their congratulations, as the president of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has pronounced on the victory of Lula da Silva in the electoral contest drawing a future of collaboration between the two countries.
«Congratulations, Lula, on your victory in these elections in which Brazil has decided to bet on progress and hope. Let us work together for social justice, equality and against climate change. Your successes will be those of the Brazilian people.parabéns (congratulations), Lula!», he wrote.
From France, Emmanuel Macron, has made a publication in which he has spoken of a new chapter in Brazil’s history. «Together we will join forces to face the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries,» he has expressed in Portuguese.
The Canadian president, Justin Trudeau, has also expressed his congratulations to the winner of the elections. «The people of Brazil have spoken. I look forward to working with Lula to strengthen the partnership between our countries, generate results for Canadians and Brazilians and promote shared priorities, such as environmental protection. Congratulations, Lula!» he posted.
