Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a historic fourth term in office after defeating far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential election.
According to the reported final results, Lula secured 51.79 per cent of the vote, against Bolsonaro’s 48.21 per cent, finishing with 4.4 million more votes than his rival.
However, Bolsonaro rejected the outcome shortly after the electoral authority confirmed the results, calling for the election to be annulled.
Lula’s victory marked a dramatic political comeback after he finished behind Bolsonaro in the first round of voting earlier in October. His success also broke a longstanding electoral pattern in Brazil, where no presidential candidate who finished second in the first round had gone on to win the runoff since the country’s return to democracy in the 1980s.
Celebrations erupted in São Paulo as Lula’s supporters welcomed his return to office.
Addressing jubilant supporters, Lula pledged to change the country’s approach to governance, describing the outcome as a victory for democracy and a rejection of denialism.
The president-elect also thanked God and Brazilian voters for supporting his return to power.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha praised the result, saying the election had given Brazilians an opportunity to consider the implications of Lula’s leadership for the environment, public healthcare, education and the country’s constitution.
Padilha added that the outcome carried significance beyond Brazil, describing it as an important signal to Latin America and the international community.
