Lula wins Brazil’s presidential re-election over Bolsonaro

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth, non-consecutive term after defeating far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the October 25 presidential runoff. With nearly 99 % of votes counted, Lula managed to receive 51.75 % of the total votes cast, while his opponent obtained 48.25 % of the votes. This result can be regarded as an unprecedented comeback in Brazil in terms of democracy. Lula narrowly lost the first round a few weeks earlier which raised questions about his political future and gave his supporters the prospect of a right-wing government being formed under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro’s son. Lula’s victory led to numerous celebrations in major Brazilian cities like São Paulo, while the Bolsonaro supporters took the news with disappointment. The outcome of the voting also presents a serious defeat for the right wing political movement around the globe as well as for Trump who is one of the political allies of the Bolsonaro family. Lula makes history with runoff victory Lula’s win marks a historic first in Brazil’s return to democracy because it is the first time since the 1980s that a second-place contender has won in the runoff election. During the campaign period, Lula painted the voting as a referendum on the future of democracy in Brazil, citing his work in the area of poverty alleviation and social programs. Support for Lula was also robust as many people showed up at rallies in major cities like Rio and São Paulo just a few days prior to the runoff. Defeat deals blow to the Bolsonaro family Flávio Bolsonaro’s defeat is a significant failure for the political party created by his father, former right-wing president of Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro is serving 27 years in prison for trying to conduct a coup after losing the elections in 2022. His son had campaigned to revive the family’s political influence and sought to position himself as the leading alternative to Lula’s government. A victory for Flávio Bolsonaro could also have improved his father’s prospects of returning to political life. The election result instead leaves the former president facing continued imprisonment while his political movement must reconsider its strategy. Election campaign marked by deep political divisions During the presidential election, Lula focused his campaign on implementing social policies and programmes for the benefit of low-income citizens while Bolsonaro was trying to gain support from those who weren’t satisfied with the current administration. Lula’s close loss in the first round indicated how strong the opposition can be against him and his government. Meanwhile, during the campaign there have been reports of alleged attempts to disrupt voting in areas viewed as favourable to Lula. Some of Lula’s supporters accused pro-Bolsonaro politicians of trying to affect turnout through interfering with the work of the public transport. The allegations have only added to the growing heat surrounding an already tough campaign. Although Lula has won the election, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it would be easy for him to govern the country. The new government will have to cooperate with Congress which is expected to be more conservative than the executive branch thus limiting the president’s capabilities in pursuing his legislative agenda. On the one hand, it is a return of Lula to politics and on the other hand, winning the election means getting ready for a difficult governing period.