Lula da Silva wins fourth presidential term in Brazil — The Guardian
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election and won a fourth term in office. After nearly 99% of ballots had been counted, the 80-year-old Lula da Silva received 51.75% of the vote, while his 45-year-old opponent received 48.25%, The Guardian reports.
Comeback after the first round
In early October, Lula da Silva narrowly lost to Bolsonaro in the first round. According to the publication, since democracy returned to Brazil in the 1980s, a candidate who placed second in the first round had never won the runoff.
After the result was confirmed, Lula da Silva's supporters took to the streets of São Paulo, where he had been following the vote count. On the eve of the vote, his supporters held mass rallies: more than one million people gathered at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, while even more people, according to The Guardian, marched along Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.
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Lula's political career
Lula da Silva's political career began in the late 1970s, when he was a trade union leader in the industrial suburbs of São Paulo. The former factory worker unsuccessfully ran for president three times — in 1989, 1994 and 1998 — and in 2002 became Brazil's first elected president from a working-class background.
After serving two consecutive terms, the maximum allowed by the constitution, Lula da Silva left office. He returned to power after winning the 2022 election against Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro's father. According to The Guardian, Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup and is under house arrest in Brasília.
During the vote count, Lula da Silva's supporters also alleged a possible attempt by politicians backing Bolsonaro to disrupt the election by sabotaging public transport in areas where support for the incumbent president was predominant. The publication notes that this possible attempt did not prevent Lula da Silva's victory.
