SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Brazil’s left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election, but the far-right incumbent did not conceded defeat on Sunday night, raising fears that he will challenge the result. .
The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) declared Lula the next president, with 50.9% of the vote against 49.1% for Bolsonaro. The investiture of Lula, 77, is scheduled for January 1.
It was a stunning return for the leftist former president and a blow for Bolsonaro, the first Brazilian incumbent to lose a presidential election.
“So far Bolsonaro hasn’t called me to acknowledge my victory, and I don’t know if he will call or if he will acknowledge my victory,” Lula told tens of thousands of jubilant fans celebrating his victory. victory on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo.
A Bolsonaro campaign source told Reuters the president would not make public remarks until Monday. The Bolsonaro campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Bolsonaro last year openly discussed refuse to accept the results of the vote, claiming baselessly that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud.
A close Bolsonaro ally, lawmaker Carla Zambelli, in an apparent nod to the results, wrote on Twitter: “I PROMISE I will be the greatest opposition Lula has ever imagined.”
Financial markets could face a volatile week as investors weigh speculation over Lula’s cabinet and the risk that Bolsonaro will question the results.
The vote was a rebuke to the fiery far-right populism of Bolsonaro, who emerged from the back seats of Congress to forge a new conservative coalition but lost support as Brazil recorded one of the worst records in the world. coronavirus pandemic.
[1/6] Former Brazilian President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts during a nighttime rally on the day of the second round of Brazil’s presidential election, in Sao Paulo, Brazil October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Mariana Grei
US President Joe Biden praised Lula for winning “free, fair and credible elections”, joining a chorus of compliments from European and Latin American leaders.
International election monitors said Sunday’s election went smoothly. An observer told Reuters that military auditors found no flaws in the integrity tests they carried out on the voting system.
Truckers suspected of being Bolsonaro supporters blocked a highway at four locations in the state of Mato Grosso, a major grain producer, on Sunday, according to the highway operator.
In a video circulating online, a man said truckers planned to block major highways across the country, calling for a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office.
RISING PINK TIDE
Lula’s victory consolidates a new “pink tidein Latin America, after historic victories for the left in Colombian and Chilean elections, echoing a regional political shift two decades ago that brought Lula onto the world stage.
He promised a return to the economic growth and state-driven social policies that lifted millions out of poverty during two presidential terms from 2003 to 2010. He also promises to fight destruction of the Amazon rainforest, now at its highest level for 15 years, and make Brazil a leader in global climate talks.
“It was four years of hatred, of denial of science,” said Ana Valeria Doria, 60, a doctor in Rio de Janeiro, who celebrated over drinks. “It won’t be easy for Lula to manage the division in this country. But for now, it’s pure happiness.” A former labor leader born into poverty, Lula organized strikes against Brazil’s military government in the 1970s. His two-term presidency was marked by a commodity-driven economic boom, and he left office with popularity. record.
However, his Workers’ Party was then marred by a deep recession and a record corruption scandal that jailed him for 19 months on corruption charges, which were overturned by the Supreme Court last year.
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