Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the second turn of elections in Brazil on Sunday. His opponent, far-right Jair Bolsonaro, is yet to recognize the results.
After the closest elections in the country’s history, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (otherwise known as Lula) is the new President of Brazil. He won in the second ballot against far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who led the country for the past four years.
Immediately after, every major leader of the World expressed their congratulations to Lula. From Russian President Vladimir Putin to US President Joe Biden, everyone communicated their hopes for further collaboration with Brazil.
I send my congratulations to Luiz Inácio 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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 31, 2022
The ballot, which took place on Sunday, was so tight that no clear winner emerged until over 98% of the votes had been counted. In the end, Lula was victorious with 50,9% of the votes against Bolsonaro’s 49.1%. Lula had also won the first round of elections with a smaller majority than predicted, which made experts think Bolsonaro could actually make it.
The run to the elections was also covered by fear, as President Bolsonaro said he would not accept any result other than his victory. His close ties with the armed forces and his constant recollection of US former President Donald Trump campaign fueled such fears.
Donald Trump had initially refused the election results, endorsing a popular uprising against Democratic winner Joe Biden. On January 6th 2020, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and fomented disorder, but nothing serious came of it.
The Capitol assault was nothing but a small sharade because every US official institution (including the army) wasn’t exactly keen on supporting a coup. Brazil, however, has a recent history of military dictatorship, and the armed forces still retain a lot of power. Furthermore, Bolsonaro has not yet recognized the election results. In any case, he is not to step down from power until January, when Lula should be officially installed.
What does Lula’s victory mean for Brazil and the world
Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency was one of the most controversial in the history of the country. For starters, his approach to the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have killed much more people than a safe approach would have. He constantly turned down the effects of the virus and of the vaccine, resulting in the second worst death toll in the world.
He also undermined human rights for the native populations living inside the Amazon rainforest, exacerbating a problem that previous Presidents were trying to solve. Also about the Amazon rainforest, during Bolsonaro’s Presidency the deforestation reached the worst peak in decades, worrying climate scientists of the World.
By contrast, Lula’s presidency in the early 2000s saw a spike in reforestation, a policy that is believed (and hoped) to continue now. Lula, however, is not safe from criticism either. After his two terms as President, he was accused of collusion with the National Oil Company. He spent almost two years in jail before being convicted.
In any case, Lula’s victory marks another South-American country turning left. In this case, it is the biggest, most populous and with the largest share of the Amazon rainforest. What this means for Brazil internally might remain uncertain, but the World can quite literally take a breath of relief.
