The president-elect of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, received this Monday an avalanche of congratulations from world leaders and even a visit from the president of Argentinaafter defeating President Jair Bolsonaro at the polls, who, however, still did not recognize his adversary’s victory.
In a rebirth from the ashes after not being able to face Bolsonaro in 2018 due to a conviction for corruption later annulled as irregular, Lula, 77 years old and a symbol of the Latin American left, made history by becoming the only person to win the Presidency of Brazil three times.
The veteran leader who was forged in the trade union and political struggle in opposition to the military dictatorship defeated Bolsonaro, a former Army captain who claims responsibility for the last coup in Brazil, by 50.9% of the vote to 49.1% in the ballot of the presidential elections.
Lula will take office on January 1 in the midst of enormous challenges, with a country divided in two, the federal Congress and numerous states controlled by opposition parties or leaders allied with Bolsonaro and a problematic present for the economy of the greatest power in Latin America.
In a reflection of the tensions with which he will have to deal, while Lula already showed himself this Monday as a virtual president when he received Alberto Fernández and congratulations from the American Joe Biden and other leaders of the planet, Bolsonaro, 67, was held in the Presidential Palace in Brasilia without having made any statement more than 18 hours after the results were released.
Also, truckers and other protesters were blocking various roads and highways in several states of Brazil in an apparent protest over Bolsonaro’s defeat, police said.
The Brazilian markets reacted with some volatility to Lula’s victory, largely due to Bolsonaro’s silence and the tensions that were emerging, but also due to the president-elect’s lack of definitions about who he will entrust with economic leadership as of January 1.
In contrast to Bolsonaro’s attitude, however, right-wing leaders aligned with the president, including the elected governor of the powerful state of São Paulo, recognized Lula’s victory and offered to collaborate and to work together after his assumption, on January 1, 2023.
aware of its challenges, Lula recognized in his victory speech that he will have to govern “in a very difficult situation” and advocated dialogue and reestablishing “unity” among Brazilians after one of the most aggressive and violent campaigns since the return to democracy, in 1985.
However, the communications coordinator for Lula’s campaign, Edinho Silva reported that he called the minister of the Civil House (a kind of prime minister) of Bolsonaro, Ciro Nogueira, who “immediately set out to lead the transition process.”
Silva highlighted the “republican and democratic” position of the Bolsonarist minister, and affirmed that he forwarded the information to the general coordinator of Lula’s campaign, the deputy and president of the Workers’ Party (PT, left), Gleisi Hoffmann.
“Today, the only winner is the Brazilian people. It is a victory for a democratic movement that was formed above political parties, personal interests and ideologies so that democracy would be the winner”added in his speech a hotel in the center of São Paulo.
The president-elect promised to govern for all, extended a hand to leaders from the center and even from the right, and said he wanted to recover the prosperity that Brazil enjoyed during his previous mandates, from 2003 to 2010, when his social policies removed some 30 million people of poverty.
Bolsonaro’s four years in power were marked by frequent clashes with the courts, his appeals to God and his opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and comprehensive sex education, his skepticism about climate change and his denial of the seriousness of the coronavirus.
The president, who got more than 58 million votes, affirms that Lula, leader of the Workers’ Party (PT), will bring communism to Brazil, legalize drugs and abortion and even persecute churches, things that did not last eight years who was president.
The election, which followed a similarly tight first round won by Lula, was the closest since Brazil regained democracy, and the first time an incumbent president has failed in his bid for re-election.
Both candidates were separated by a little more than 2 million votes. Until now, the most disputed election had been that of 2014, which was defined by a margin of 3.5 million votes in favor of Dilma Rousseff, of the PT, who defeated Aécio Neves.
Lula’s victory extends a recent wave of victory by progressive presidents in several Latin American countries, including Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Honduraswhich had been used by Bolsonaro as an alarm signal.
His cordial meeting with Fernández in a hotel in São Paulo served Lula to display his perceived legitimacy and to show himself almost as president, assuming a virtual relaunch of relations with Brazil’s main trading partner after years of ties damaged by Bolsonaro.
Lula retweeted a video uploaded by Fernández in which the two greet each other with a big hug in a hotel room before starting a meeting behind closed doors.
“All my love, my admiration and my respect, dear partner. We have a future that embraces us and calls us together,” Fernández, who has a long-standing relationship with Lula, wrote alongside the video.
All my love, my admiration and my respect, dear companion. We have a future that embraces us and summons us.@LulaOfficial pic.twitter.com/XEbKPI42O0
– Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) October 31, 2022
The president-elect received a wave of greetings and well wishes from other world leaders, including Phone calls from Biden and Macron.
Biden and Lula “discussed the strong relationship between the United States and Brazil and pledged to continue working as partners to address common challenges” such as climate change, food security, inclusion and democracy,” the White House said in a statement. .
Already on Sunday night, Biden said in a statement that he congratulated Lula for his victory in “free, fair and credible elections”, claiming his legitimacy after years of tension with Bolsonaro due to his closeness to former President Donald Trump, his electoral rival. and unaware of his triumph in 2020.
Russian President Vladimir Putinsaid that “the results of this election confirm your great political authority. I hope that by making joint efforts we can continue to develop constructive cooperation between Russia and Brazil in all fields.”
The European Union (EU) advocated cooperating with Lula “on global challenges: peace and stability, prosperity, climate change.”
Colombian President Gustavo PetroHe said on Twitter that he was celebrating “the victory of the Brazilian people.”
I have spoken by telephone with the president @LulaOfficial. I extended my sincere congratulations.
“Relations between Colombia and Brazil will be close because we both love the Amazon,” he told me. This is how President Lula will be.
– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 31, 2022
“Long live the peoples determined to be free, sovereign and independent! Today democracy triumphed in Brazil. Congratulations Lula! A Big Hug!”, he added.
“We embrace you brother President Lula,” said the president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-CanelOn twitter.
We hug you brother President Lula pic.twitter.com/1LQpF7xXRP
– Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) October 30, 2022
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, said that he hoped to work with Lula “for a modern Mercosur that is open to the world. Likewise, we hope to continue and improve the very good bilateral relations.”
“Congratulations, dear @LulaOficial, for your election that opens a new page in the history of Brazil. Together, we will join forces to face the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries,” French President Emmanuel tweeted. Macron.
“Lula won, blessed people of Brazil. There will be equality and humanism,” said the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The one from Peru, Pedro Castillo, defined Lula as a “worker, trade unionist, fighter” and said that his victory was “fundamental to strengthen the unity of Latin America and the social justice of the Great Homeland.”
