The leftist former president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, reclaimed the presidency from right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tight run-off election Sunday that signaled Brazilian’…
Da Silva garnered 50.9% of the run-off vote, beating Bolsonaro’s 49.1%, with more than 99% of ballots tallied in win called by election officials.
Bolsonaro’s loss was the first time a sitting president has failed to win reelection in Brazil since 1985. The conservative leader has yet to concede and spread claims of electronic voting machine fraud — without any evidence — ahead of the election in a move mirroring former US President Donald Trump.
The closely-watched and highly polarized election season was watched worldwide as a litmus test for conservative politics. Brazil adds to the list of Latin American countries — such as Chile, Colombia and Argentina — undergoing a wave of leftist victories. However, the election was also the closest vote in more than three decades, with just over 2 million votes separating the two candidates. The results illustrate a highly-divided nation with a struggling economy and soaring inflation.
Da Silva’s image has been marred by a corruption scandal that landed him in prison and sidelined him from the 2018 election won by Bolsonaro. The leftist leader previously served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010.Right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has yet to concede.