Lula wins election in Brazil against Bolsonaro – wafer thin

In the presidential election in Brazil, left-wing ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro fought the expected neck-and-neck race. In the end, Lula narrowly won: the electoral authorities declared him the winner with 50.9 percent of the vote. Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent. More than 150 million Brazilians were invited to vote.

In his first speech after the election, Lula announced that he wanted to reconcile the hostile camps in the South American country. “I will rule for 215 million Brazilians,” said Lula in São Paulo. “There are no two Brazils, only one people.” Now the moment has come to restore peace.

Bolsonaro is silent

US President Joe Biden has congratulated the President-elect of Brazil on his victory. He expressly emphasized that the vote was “free, fair and credible”.

Congratulations also came from Germany. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier declared in Berlin that Brazil is an important strategic partner and a key player in overcoming global challenges. Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the short message service Twitter:

The defeated President Bolsonaro has not commented so far. However, allies of the incumbent head of state recognized Lula’s victory. Bolsonaro had repeatedly cast doubt on the electoral system and indicated several times that he might not want to recognize the result. Some of his supporters had even blatantly called for a military coup.

Significant far beyond Brazil

Lula had won the first round on October 2 – albeit much narrower than expected according to the polls. After that, the race was considered completely open again. For months, the election campaign was marked by serious mutual accusations and false information spread on the Internet. Both candidates fought for every vote until the end.

The election has significant implications beyond Brazil’s borders. As a huge carbon reservoir, the Amazon region plays an important role in the fight against global climate change. Given the tense situation on the energy and food markets due to the Ukraine war, Brazil with its enormous natural resources is also an important trading partner.

rb/fw/se (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)