A comeback few expected
Brazil's presidency is returning to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who secured an unprecedented fourth term by overcoming the far-right contender Flávio Bolsonaro in a striking reversal of fortune. The outcome puts the seasoned left-wing leader back in the nation's top job and overturns the first-round result, where he had been behind.[S1][S4][S5]
No other candidate had previously lost the opening round and then gone on to prevail in a runoff, and Lula achieved exactly that, capturing 51.79% against 48.21% for his opponent. Though the gap was slim, it proved conclusive, and the contest set new benchmarks along the way, CNN reported.[S1][S2]
A regional trend interrupted
The victory runs counter to a pattern seen elsewhere in the region, following a radical populist campaign led by the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Media outlets around the globe described the outcome as a check on the right-wing surge that had been gathering strength throughout Latin America.[S1][S2][S6]
Flávio Bolsonaro had been cast as a Trump ally by some of the outlets covering the race, and his defeat was described as a historic victory for Lula by Common Dreams. The contest had drawn international attention as a test of how far the populist current could travel.[S6]
What comes next
With Flávio Bolsonaro refusing to concede defeat, what's next for Brazil remains an open question. The Guardian's Michael Safi spoke to Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips about the standoff and its implications, in a discussion available on YouTube.[S1][S8]
