Berlin, Oct 26. (dpa/GNA) – Leaders across Europe congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his re-election on Monday, after he surprisingly defeated far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight run-off vote.
Lula secured his fourth term in office in Sunday’s narrow contest with 51.8% of the vote, a result that was swiftly rejected by Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for leading a coup attempt after the 2022 elections which he lost to Lula.
Flávio Bolsonaro, who garnered 48.2% of the vote, said he would seek to have the vote annulled over an extension in voting hours.’Great victory’Lula’s latest victory was hailed by several European leaders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent her “warmest congratulations” in a post on X, adding that “democracy and multilateralism have won in Brazil.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his congratulations, saying that “France and Brazil have much to achieve together.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was looking “forward to further deepening the strategic partnership between Germany and Brazil together,” while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described Lula’s win as a “great victory.”
“What happened in Brazil is going to happen in Spain,” he said in a post on X, referring to Spain’s upcoming snap elections in which his left-wing Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) party is seeking a fresh boost to be able to push through measures aimed at tackling the country’s housing crisis.
Latin American leaders have also taken to social media to congratulate Lula, including those from opposing political camps including Peruvian conservative President Keiko Fujimori and Chile’s far-right President José Antonio Kast.
Unlikely comebackLula, 80, was able to mount an unlikely comeback, after trailing Bolsonaro by some two percentage points in the first round of voting on October 4. This means he is the first presidential candidate since Brazil restored direct presidential elections in 1989 to overturn a first-round deficit and win the run-off.
Lula’s victory also thwarted efforts by the Bolsonaro camp to shift Latin America’s most populous country and largest economy to the right and strengthen ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Flávio Bolsonaro had campaigned on closer cooperation with Washington. “This election was a defeat for denialism,” Lula said in a hoarse voice in his first comments to reporters. He later appeared before thousands of cheering supporters on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, while people across Brazil took to the streets to celebrate his re-election.
However, many others were disappointed by the result, after hoping for a Bolsonaro victory, underscoring the deep political divisions in Latin America’s largest country.
Bolsonaro said he would challenge the result over the extension of polling hours, telling reporters he could not accept the outcome.
The senator described the decision as “unacceptable.” Supreme Court judge Cristiano Zanin had ordered voting to be extended until 7 pm (2200 GMT) following reports of public transport problems affecting voters.
The order applied nationwide and followed a request from Lula’s campaign. Bolsonaro’s campaign had also called for voting hours to be extended in certain states where heavy rainfall, flooding and power outages had reportedly disrupted the voting process.
GNA