Bolsonaro contests Lula election

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was reelected against all expectations on Sunday, but his conservative rival Flavio Bolsonaro refused to accept the loss and said he would seek to have the vote annulled.

Lula’s dramatic comeback meant Brazil had not followed Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, all backed by US President Donald Trump, in swinging to the right.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Lula’s reelection as a triumph for “democracy and multilateralism,” joining a slew of world leaders who welcomed the leftist figurehead’s return for an unprecedented fourth term.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, defied projections to defeat Bolsonaro, a senator and the son of jailed former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and win an unprecedented fourth term.

According to official results, he won 51.8 percent of the votes to 48.2 percent for Bolsonaro, with Lula pulling around 4.4 million more votes.

Lula was warmly congratulated by the leaders of left-wing governments across Central America, including Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela.

“Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X.

Right-wing governments in Chile, Ecuador and Peru said they wanted to work towards common goals with the region’s economic powerhouse.

China echoed that sentiment, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his friend Lula his “heartiest congratulations.”

‘Ensuring democracy’

Fireworks and vuvuzelas rang out in Rio de Janeiro, while thousands of people dressed in red, the color of Lula’s Workers’ Party, streamed into the streets of Sao Paulo to celebrate.

“People went to vote because we managed to convince them that voting was very important for ensuring democracy in the country,” Lula said in his first comments after the win.