Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won the presidential elections on Sunday in a remarkable comeback for the country’s first working-class president.
Lula da Silva received a record-breaking 60 million votes but won by a narrow margin as Lula da Silva won 50.90% of the vote and Bolsonaro received 49.10%, according to Brazil’s electoral authority.
The 76-year-old politician’s win represents the return of the left into power in Latin America’s largest country.
Lula da Silva promised to unite a divided country in a speech after defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. “Starting on January 1, 2023, I will govern for the 215 million Brazilians, not just the ones who voted for me. There are not two Brazils. We are one country, one people, one great nation,” Lula da Silva said after his victory.
President Jair Bolsonaro is yet to concede defeat and has not made any public comments. Social media videos showed his supporters had blocked highways in two states to protest Lula’s victory, with some of them calling for a military coup.
Who is Lula?
Lula is a two-time president and former union leader, who ran on a campaign of upholding democratic values. He is considered a powerhouse in Brazil. He was born in 1945 in Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco and grew up in poverty. His parents were farmers who could not afford to feed their eight children. Late, the family moved to São Paulo state in search of a better life. He dropped out of school to become a shoe-shiner and later got a job at a factory.
In his early twenties, he started his career in trade-union activism and in 1975 he was elected president of the powerful metal workers’ union. He organized several strikes challenging Brazil’s dictatorial government. In 1980, Lula entered politics and founded the leftist Workers’ Party (PT). He faced defeat in three presidential races before achieving success in October 2002. This will be his third term after previously governing the country for two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010.
Lula called his 2022 victory by a tight margin a “resurrection” after he was jailed in Brazil’s biggest corruption scandal following his two-term 2003-2010 presidency. The sentences were later annulled by the Supreme Court. “They tried to bury me alive and I’m here,” he said in a jubilant speech.
World leaders congratulate Lula
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Lula da Silva for his victory in “free, fair and credible elections,” and said he looks forward to continued cooperation between the countries.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Lula, saying he looked forward to cooperating with Lula, especially on the topics of trade and climate protection. “Brazil is an important strategic partner for Germany and a key player in overcoming the global challenges of our time,” said Scholz.
French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated Lula and said the poll opened “a new page” in the nation’s history. “Together, we will join forces to take up the many common challenges and renew the ties of friendship between our two countries,” the French president tweeted.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, said that she looked forward to working with Brazil’s new leader to address global challenges, from food security to trade and climate change.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also congratulated Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on winning the election. “Brazilian citizens went to the polls to elect their new president in a peaceful and well-organized election,” Borrell tweeted.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he looked forward to “working together on the issues that matter to the UK and Brazil, from growing the global economy to protecting the planet’s natural resources and promoting democratic values.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warmly welcomed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory. “Congratulations Lula on your victory. Let’s work together for social justice, equality and against climate change,” Sanchez tweeted.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said Lula’s win “opens a new era for the history of Latin America. A time of hope and future that begins today.”
Lula’s victory comes after a political wave across Latin America, with wins by left-leaning politicians in Argentina, Colombia and Chile.
