Brazil, Lula re-elected president. Bolsonaro contests the election result

Lula has triumphed in the Brazilian elections. "I thank the generosity of the young Brazilians who fought to defend democracy," he said in the heat of the moment, in a São Paulo already celebrating. After an epochal comeback, the last icon of the global left crushed trumpian candidate Flavio Bolsonaro in the runoff, confirming himself for the fourth time as president of Brazil. In the end he won 51.74% of the vote, against Flavio's 48.2%, a clear margin, well above the extremely tight head-to-head predicted on the eve. However, Bolsonaro won't accept it. Jair's son announced that he will request the annulment of the vote, which in his view was distorted by the judge's decision to postpone the closing of the polls by two hours, a measure he himself had also requested. "It is impossible to recognize the result of this vote under these conditions. I will request the annulment of the vote. For the first time in Brazil's history a judge extended the voting operations, changing the rules mid-game," he commented excitedly. A potentially coup-mongering position that, however, appears isolated at the moment: the two presidents of the Chambers, before he spoke, had already ratified the electoral outcome. Lula's triumph sends a strong signal to the world as well: a few days before the midterm vote, his victory halts the advance, until now unstoppable, of the trumpian right in Latin America. But Lula, who admitted he never had a smartphone, also beat Meta, accused by many of having interfered in the electoral campaign, trying in vain to slow the spread of his content on its social networks. Good news too for the LGBT community, for defenders of the rights of minorities, of indigenous peoples, of the least who depend on public social policies. And also for environmental policies protecting the Amazon, the lung of the world. A historic victory also for the way it came about: never in the history of Brazilian politics had a candidate defeated in the first round managed to turn the result around in the second. And never had a candidate won so many votes, over 64 million. Behind the victory of this highlander of global progressivism there was certainly the boom in participation: abstention dropped by two points, a sign that even those who stayed home in the first round voted. But this time they perhaps went to the polls driven by fear of another Bolsonaro in the presidency. And thanks to them, the most Catholic country in the world will not, for the first time, be led by an evangelical. In three weeks, thanks to a popular mobilization in the streets and online — the contribution of his online "army" was fundamental — Lula managed to recover a situation that seemed absolutely prohibitive: on the night of the first round he was behind his opponent by about two million votes, aware of having victory in his pocket also because he was convinced he would pick up the nine million votes of the excluded candidates, all from the center-right. But this time too, the elderly leader (he will turn 81 in a few days), like four years ago with Jair, beat another Bolsonaro. Now he will have to govern a country with a Parliament in the hands of the right. A point he already addressed with pragmatism in his first speech after the victory: "Many say Lula will have difficulty governing, but this right-wing congress was elected by the people, and it is with them that I will work to get things approved," he cut it short. Meanwhile, the party has already begun: millions of Brazilians tonight have already celebrated the working-class president in the streets, who lost a finger of his hand at 17, crushed by a press. They invaded Copacabana and São Paulo's Avenida Paulista in their red T-shirts, as if Brazil had won its sixth World Cup, happy and proud, making the L with their hand, the symbol of their leader, still in the saddle. Their commitment, their affection instantly routed all those who had already written him off politically. Those who judged him old and tired, out of fashion, and were ready to relegate him as one of the many figures of the twentieth century to be consigned to the dustbin of history, this time got it very wrong. Von der Leyen: in Brazil democracy and multilateralism won "In Brazil, democracy and multilateralism won." This was written on X by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. "The partnership between Europe and Brazil is flourishing. We will remain by your side in the years to come. Together we will continue to work closely for free and open trade. For a rules-based global order. And for ambitious climate goals." Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA