'We Need Lula': Brazilians Celebrate Leftist Leader's Narrow Victory

Oct 31, 2022 | Brazil’s former leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sealed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, in one of the most significant and bruising elections in the country’s history.

With 99.97% of votes counted, Silva, a former factory worker who became Brazil’s first working-class president exactly 20 years ago, had secured 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro, a firebrand who was elected in 2018, received 49.10%.

Addressing journalists at a hotel in São Paulo, Lula vowed to reunify his country after a toxic race for power which has profoundly divided one of the world’s largest democracies. Lula stages astonishing comeback to beat far-right Bolsonaro in the Brazil election


After Defeat, Bolsonaro is Silent, and Brazil Braces for Turmoil: President Jair Bolsonaro has not yet recognized his election defeat after months of warning, without evidence, that opponents would rig the vote. »

Election présidentielle au Brésil : la joie des partisans de Lula après la victoire sur le fil de leur champion face à Bolsonaro : Le champion de la gauche obtient 50,9 % des suffrages au terme d’une journée de vote pleine de tensions. »

Eine knappe Entscheidung gegen Bolsonaro: In einer äußerst knappen Wahl schafft es der frühere Präsident Lula da Silva zurück an die Macht. Er hat sich vorgenommen, das entzweite Land zusammenzuführen – eine enorme Herausforderung, wie er selbst sagte. »

GUARDIAN EDITORIAL:

The Guardian view on Lula’s comeback: good for Brazil and the world: The once-and-future leftwing president of Brazil has a chance to redeem the promise of democracy in his divided country »

Brazil’s LGBTQ+ politicians herald new age of hope as Bolsonaro consigned to ‘sewer of history’: After left-wing former president Lula toppled Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian election, campaigners are hopeful for the future of human rights. »

Lula Stages Astonishing Comeback to Beat Far-right Bolsonaro in Brazil Election

THE GUARDIAN: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former leftist president, has reclaimed the leadership and vowed to reunify his country

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ party (PT) won the election in a run-off on 30 October. Photograph: André Penner/AP
Brazil’s former leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has sealed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant and bruising elections in the country’s history.

With 99% of votes counted, Silva, a former factory worker who became Brazil’s first working-class president exactly 20 years ago, had secured 50.8% of the vote. Bolsonaro, a firebrand who was elected in 2018, received 49.1%.

A few streets away on Paulista Avenue, one of the city’s main arteries, ecstatic Lula supporters gathered to celebrate his victory and the downfall of a radical rightwing president whose presidency produced an environmental tragedy and saw nearly 700,000 Brazilians die of Covid. » | Tom Phillips in São Paulo | Sunday, October 30, 2022

Bolsonaro and Lula Go Head to Head in Final Debate | DW News

Oct 29, 2022 | Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are wrapping up their campaigns for the upcoming presidential runoff. Lula is currently leading in the polls, but the vote is expected to go down to the wire

Bolsonaro vs. Lula: Brazil Faces a Stark Choice With Huge Stakes: Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday in an election between two political heavyweights that could have global repercussions. »

Brazil Election: Lula Wins First Round but Far Right Has Momentum

THE GUARDIAN: Six key questions after first round of voting leads to closer than expected result

Supporters of Lula react as they watch the vote count in Brazil. Photograph: Sérgio Lima/AFP/Getty Images
EXPLAINER
Brazil’s left went into Sunday’s election hoping for an outright majority for their candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right figurehead who has been Brazil’s president for the last four years.

At the very least, they hoped for a commanding margin and a sense of momentum going into a run-off between the two. And progressives around the world were watching for an emphatic repudiation of Bolsonaro’s presidency that would signal that the forces of extremism were in retreat. But it hasn’t worked out that way.

Instead, Lula won 48% of votes, roughly in line with polls – but Bolsonaro did much better than expected, taking 43%, and his supporters also outperformed polls in state and senate races. Lula is expected to take most votes from the minor candidates who now drop out, and should be favourite to win in the second round on October 30 - but the road to victory looks rockier than it did last night. The stakes could hardly be higher. » | Archie Bland | Monday, October 3, 2022

Brazil’s Elections: The Economist Interviews Lula

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is the former leftist president of Brazil and the man taking on Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing incumbent, in the country’s upcoming presidential election. In an exclusive interview with The Economist, Lula discusses his campaign and his plans for Brazil.

Will Bolsonaro Accept Brazil's Election Results If He Loses? | DW News

Brazilians go to the polls after a highly polarized presidential election campaign that's prompted fears of violence. Opinion polls give a clear advantage to the leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. And the right-wing incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, has hinted that he might not accept a defeat. DW correspondent Johann Ramirez sent this report on the election from Rio de Janeiro.

Brasilien wählt, doch Bolsonaro will nichts anderes als einen Wahlsieg akzeptieren

NEUE ZURCHER ZEITUNG: Das grösste Land Lateinamerikas wählt an diesem Sonntag. Präsident Jair Bolsonaro sät Zweifel am elektronischen Wahlsystem. Seine Anhänger sind bewaffnet. Es drohen gewalttätige Unruhen. Die Urnen schliessen um 22 Uhr mitteleuropäischer Zeit.

Präsident Jair Bolsonaro mit Anhängern an einer Wahlveranstaltung in Santos. | Andre Penner / AP
Er werde das Wahlergebnis akzeptieren – solange bei den Wahlen alles mit rechten Dingen zugehe, wiederholt Präsident Jair Bolsonaro fast täglich gegenüber seinen Anhängern. Alles andere als ein hoher Wahlsieg seinerzeit im ersten Wahlgang von diesem Sonntag deute darauf hin, dass irgendetwas falsch laufe im Obersten Wahlgericht.

Mit der kühnen Behauptung des Wahlsieges scheint der Präsident seine Anhänger auf die drohende Niederlage bei seiner Wiederwahl vorbereiten zu wollen. Denn es sieht nicht gut für ihn aus: In den Umfragen der renommierten Institute Ipec und Datafolha liegt sein Kontrahent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 14 Prozentpunkte vor ihm. Ein Wahlsieg des Ex-Präsidenten Lula schon im ersten Wahldurchgang erscheint möglich.

Um eine mögliche Niederlage im Vorfeld zu diskreditieren, attackiert Bolsonaro die elektronischen Wahlurnen. Das macht er seit Beginn seiner Regierung 2019. Dabei hat er nie Belege vorlegen können, die seine Behauptungen stützen. Er selbst wurde sechs Mal mit diesem System als Abgeordneter für Rio de Janeiro und schliesslich zum Präsidenten gewählt. » | Alexander Busch, Salvador | Sonntag, 2. Oktober 2022

Brazil: A Nation Divided | FT Film

Latin America’s largest nation is facing its most important election in decades as Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva square off amid deep political and cultural polarisation. FT Brazil bureau chief Bryan Harris travels the nation to look at the enormous economic and social challenges facing the next president. He meets wealthy farmers, truckers, evangelicals and those facing food insecurity

Jour de vote au Brésil : Lula favori, désinformation et tensions... ce qu’il faut savoir sur le scrutin : Les campagnes de désinformation et les attaques contre le système électoral font craindre des tensions après l’annonce des résultats. L’ancien président Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva est le favori. »

Brazil Elections 2022: It's Bolsonaro vs Lula, Explained

A former leader seeking a comeback and a polarising far-right president. It's Lula da Silva vs Jair Bolsonaro as elections get underway in Brazil. If neither manages to secure at least 50-per-cent of the vote - there will be a run off election later this month.

"Brazil on Fire": Lula Launches Campaign to Unseat Bolsonaro & End His Authoritarian Rule

Aug 18, 2022 This week former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva formally launched his campaign to challenge Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro this October. Fear is growing Bolsonaro might try to stay in office even if he loses, possibly with help from the Brazilian military. Lula, a union leader who held office from 2003 through 2010, is running on a platform to lift up Brazil's poor, preserve the Amazon rainforest and protect Brazil's Indigenous communities. In 2018, he was jailed on trumped-up charges, paving the way for the far-right Jair Bolsonaro to rise to power, but his convictions were annulled last year, restoring his political rights to challenge Bolsonaro. The presidential front-runners hold "two visions for Brazil," says reporter Michael Fox, former editor of NACLA and host of the new podcast "Brazil on Fire."