President Lula da Silva narrowly defeated his main challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro, in Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday, securing a historic fourth term in office.
According to the official announcement from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, Mr da Silva received 51.79% of the votes, edging out Mr Bolsonaro, who garnered 48.21%.
After his victory, Mr da Silva addressed his supporters, declaring, “This was a defeat for denialism and lies. I must confess that every time I attended a debate, I felt embarrassed. Either the homeland remains free, or we die for Brazil.
This country will not accept being anyone’s backyard.”
Mr Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro—who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after the 2022 election—rejected the result. “It’s impossible to recognise the results of the election in the context of these things that happened,” he said.
At 81, Mr da Silva adds a fourth term to his previous victories in 2002, 2006, and 2022. Sunday’s run-off was necessitated after the October 5 election failed to produce a candidate with more than 50% of the vote. In that first round, Mr Bolsonaro, a right-wing politician, received 47.03% of the vote, while Mr da Silva secured 45.16%.
