Lula defeats Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential election
![Lula.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zcziQjcTNZNHjdgczgE6bS-415-80.jpg)
Brazil's next president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker's Party, the country's electoral authority announced Sunday.
Da Silva, known as Lula, defeated right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who is the first sitting Brazilian president to lose a re-election bid since 1985. With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, Lula is beating Bolsonaro 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent.
Lula, 77, served two terms as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010. After leaving office, he was convicted of corruption and money laundering and served 19 months in prison. His convictions were later overturned by Brazil's Supreme Court, which ruled that the judge in the case colluded with prosecutors.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lula ran on a pro-democracy, social justice, and environment platform. During Bolsonaro's presidency, Brazil saw the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years, and he was criticized for his lax handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and spreading of conspiracy theories. His supporters applaud him for his defense of conservative ideals and brash way of speaking. Going into this election, Bolsonaro questioned the security of Brazil's electronic voting machines, and recent polls show 75 percent of his supporters trust the voting system only a little or not at all, The New York Times reports.
The close results show that Lula will be leading a sharply divided country, political analyst Thomas Traumann told The Associated Press. "The huge challenge that Lula has will be to pacify the country," he said. "People are not only polarized on political matters, but also have different values, identity, and opinions. What's more, they don't care what the other side's values, identities, and opinions are."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How Black organizations quickly pivoted and mobilized for Kamala Harris
In the spotlight Harris has a shot at being the first Black woman to lead the Democratic ticket
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'The studio has run out of marquee heroes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published