Luiz Inacio da Silva, more popularly known as Lula, snatches the victory in the Sunday polls. He will serve as the new president of Brazil.
After months of intense campaigning, da Silva overtakes Bolsonaro, ending his bid for another term. In just three months, the left-leaning challenger returned from the political sphere as a prisoner to the country’s highest official. A couple of months ago, da Silva won against his competitors during the first round of the polls. Then, however, it went down to a showdown between him and Bolsonaro because he failed to secure the needed 50% plus votes.
The country saw a nail-biting conclusion of the presidential race, as Lula garnered 50.9% of the votes, while Bolsonaro received 49.1%. Many polls predicted a larger lead for Lula. However, all the polls favored him, allowing him to gain traction as the elections closed. The newly-elected president will officially take over as the country’s leader on January 1.
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Da Silva supporters celebrate
Victor Costelo, 33, a supporter of the left-wing challenger, expressed his happiness over the election’s conclusion. Da Silva supporters flooded the street after the official election returns declared their president the winner. Many of them donned red clothing, representing his Workers Party color. According to Costelo, it gave him hope, thinking that da Silva won the race after an authoritarian ruled the country.
“I’m really happy. The next four years will be more hopeful for us,” he said.
Photo Credit: Diego Vara
After the first polls came in and the government declared a second round, many da Silva supporters became disheartened. They hoped for better results. However, da Silva only secured less than 50%, which was not enough if he wanted to take the presidential seat.
“We came here expecting to have a party, to get very happy, to have some beers. But now we are going home just to sleep and wait for the next four weeks to see how they go,” said a supporter at the time.
However, they celebrate now that da Silva is finally taking the position. Nevertheless, while the election ended peacefully in general, there were killings during the campaign. In one instance, four da Silva supporters were killed at the hands of Bolsonaro supporters.
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Support from other world leaders
Da Silva’s political career is a roller coaster. He served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, finishing two terms. Then, however, he was sent to jail on the graft count for 580 days. In 2019, the Courts dismissed the cases against him, giving him another chance to lead the country. He eventually gained the backing of many people, especially in the left wing. World leaders quickly sent their congratulations to the new president of Brazil.
“I send my congratulations to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his election to be the next president of Brazil following free, fair, and credible elections. I look forward to working together to continue the cooperation between our two countries in the months and years ahead,” said United States President Joe Biden.
“The people of Brazil have spoken,” said Trudeau.
Photo Credit: Rodrigo Paiva
Source: NPR
