Brazil Elections 2022: In a stunning comeback, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beats Jair Bolsonaro

It's the comeback of a lifetime for Lula. Brazilian voters narrowly elected Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a revered but divisive leftist former president, in national elections on Sunday. The former union leader received 50.9% of the vote, compared to 49.1% for the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro.

The outcome should bring an end to a grueling and divisive election season. Instead, it puts this country of 200 million people on edge, waiting to see how Bolsonaro responds. A former army captain, now elected as the president, has spent the last few years stressing that a loss in these elections would be unacceptable to him.

His campaign and supporters have often asserted him, without evidence, that Brazil's electronic voting system is prone to fraud—in a widely noted echo of former U.S. President’s remarks. The rhetoric of President Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2020 election. The thin margin of victory for Lula has heightened long-held suspicions that Bolsonaro's supporters could attempt their version of the Capitol insurgency.


Lula appealed for peace and togetherness in his victory speech on Sunday night, stating that living in a divided society is in no one's best interests. However, Bolsonaro is yet to issue a public declaration admitting defeat. If authorities can avoid an institutional crisis, Lula as the president-elect is often known-will return to Brasil's Planalto Palace in January, following a turbulent four years under Bolsonaro's administration.

FAQs

Who is Lula?
Lula is a Brazilian politician and Trade unionist who helped to build the Marxist Worker's Party after working as the leader of a steelworkers union in So Paulo in the 1970s, and he won his first presidential election in 2002.

How did Lula win?
Bolsonaro's attitude to COVID-19, and attacks on Brazilian democracy, enabled him to command a unity coalition against him, including erstwhile political enemies.