Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s second‑round presidential election with 51.79% of the vote, defeating far‑right rival Flávio Bolsonaro who received 48.21%. The result gives Lula a fourth term in office and makes him the country’s longest‑serving president.
The victory followed a Supreme Court decision that extended polling hours by two hours on election day. Lula’s campaign also alleged that Bolsonaro’s supporters sabotaged public transport to hinder voters from reaching the polls.
In the first round, Bolsonaro had led the field, but the second round overturned that result – the first time in Brazilian electoral history that a first‑round verdict has been reversed.
Lula, a left‑wing politician, has previously served as president from 2003 to 2010. Bolsonaro, a far‑right candidate, had been the incumbent’s main challenger in the first round.
The Guardian’s Tom Phillips will answer readers’ questions about the implications of Lula’s win from 15:00 GMT today.
<small>Source: The Guardian — read the original story there.</small>