Brazil’s Lula wins fourth term after defeating Flavio Bolsonaro.. Video

Lula da Silva wins a fourth term as Brazil’s president after defeating Flavio Bolsonaro 51.7% to 48.2% in a closely fought runoff election.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term in office in a dramatic comeback over his right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro.

Left-wing leader Lula took 51.79% of votes, becoming the first president since the return of democracy in 1988 to win an election after losing the first round of voting.

Lula told celebratory crowds this election is a « loss for negativity, lies », later adding « long live democracy ».

Bolsonaro, who is the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, has so far refused to recognise the result and called for it to be annulled, which experts say is unlikely.

In an unprecedented move, polls were also extended for two hours on Sunday evening after both candidates made requests for different reasons.

Lula’s team had argued that voters in São Paulo and Bahia could not get to the polling stations because of a lack of buses, while Senator Bolsonaro’s campaign cited heavy rain in some areas in the south of the country and in São Paulo as the reason for their request.

The decision – issued by the Supreme Court just as polling stations were due to close – meant that some had already shut and were not able to re-open.

Supreme Court President Kassio Nunes Marques – appointed by the older Bolsonaro – confirmed Lula’s victory and said that the voting extension did not cause issues for the count or the electoral process.

Lula secured 51.79% of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 48.21% – a difference of 4.4 million votes between the two candidates.

But Lula’s camp gained momentum ahead of election day, focusing on boosting voter turnout after 33 million people did not vote in round one.

Sunday saw the largest drop in abstention between the first and second rounds of a presidential election since 1989.

As disconsolate Bolsonaro supporters left the house in Brasília where their candidate had been watching the result, Lula took to the streets in São Paulo to celebrate and address his supporters.

« This, my fourth term, will be the best of any president in the history of this country », the former metal worker said. « It will be the one in which I listen most to the Brazilian people. »

Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin told him: « You, for the second time, have saved Brazilian democracy. »

Bolsonaro, who had been poised to give a victory speech, said the result should be annulled, calling it « inexplicable » and « impossible ».

But electoral law experts have told BBC Brasil that the chances of the results being annulled are remote.

Fernando Neisser from the Institute of Lawyers of São Paulo (Iasp) said it would be « difficult from a legal standpoint » given that the margin of victory was relatively large, and would depend on the « narrative » his lawyers put forward.

Expert Alberto Rollo said that dates for presidential elections in Brazil are fixed and determined by the constitution, which would add another complication to getting it annulled.

Brazil faces political challenges after the runoff

Political analyst Thomas Traumann warned that a Lula victory could face pressure from a hostile Congress and threats of impeachment, while a victory for the far right could lead to political retaliation directed at the Supreme Court.

Flavio Bolsonaro has said he would seek to free his father and pursue the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who led the case against the former president.

Rain across Brazil on Sunday threatened to affect turnout following record abstention in the first round earlier in the month. 

World Opinion + Agencies