Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, leader of the Workers’ Party and acting President of Brazil, re-elected his presidency yesterday, October 25, after securing more than 64.2 million votes in the second round of the presidential election—51.8% of the votes cast—compared to the 59.8 million votes obtained by his opponent, the leader of the Liberal Party, Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro.
Polls pointed to a very tight result and almost a technical tie. However, the final outcome was surprising—in fact, it marks the first time that a winner of the first round, like Bolsonaro, loses in the second and final round—with a victory for Lula by a margin of more than four million votes.
Accompanied by his Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, and his top aides, Lula addressed the nation from a hotel in São Paulo to state that his victory is one for democracy and honesty over disinformation: “it is the defeat of lies and denialism.” He assured that he will govern for all 215 million Brazilians and will seek reconciliation, acknowledging that he is fully aware he will have to govern alongside a conservative-leaning Congress and affirming that he will negotiate with lawmakers to pass the necessary reforms.
In his victory speech, Lula emphasized that Brazil will maintain a stance of global leadership and self-sovereignty, because “this country does not accept being anyone’s backyard.” He also harshly criticized interference and network disinformation during the election campaign, advocating for the regulation of big tech companies in Brazil.
