On Sunday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Brazil, fending off the far right’s advance in the country. Lula made history by becoming the first Brazilian president elected to a fourth term in office and won more votes—64 million—than any candidate in the country in its history, also marking the first time a presidential candidate won after finishing second in the opening round of voting.
Lula, who turns 81 Tuesday, defeated Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of disgraced former President Jair Bolsonaro, by more than 4 million votes. In his victory speech, he thanked the young people who took to the streets and mobilized online in his support ahead of Sunday’s election. Lula also said his reelection was a win against “outside interference” by digital platforms like Meta, which he vowed to regulate.
The incumbent’s stunning comeback throws cold water on the MAGA world’s hopes that Brazil would become the latest country in Latin America to elect a Trump-aligned right-wing leader. In a race marked by concerns about US interference, the relationship between Brazil and Washington was front and center.
Borrowing from a similar playbook as his father, who’s serving a 27-year sentence for a failed coup attempt, Bolsonaro refused to accept the legitimate results. Some of his far-right allies in the United States and Brazil already are raising baseless claims of a “stolen” election. On Monday, President Donald Trump added to that chorus, saying without any evidence that the Brazilian elections looked “rigged.”
—Isabela Dias
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