Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has done it again: Twenty years after first winning the Brazilian presidency, the leftist defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro Sunday...
Twenty years after first winning the Brazilian presidency, the leftist defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro Sunday in an extremely tight election that marks an about-face for the country.
“Today the only winner is the Brazilian people," da Silva said in a speech at a hotel in downtown Sao Paulo. “This isn’t a victory of mine or the Workers’ Party, nor the parties that supported me in campaign. It’s the victory of a democratic movement that formed above political parties, personal interests and ideologies so that democracy came out victorious.”
It was the country's closest election in over three decades. Just over 2 million votes separated the two candidates with 99.5% of the vote counted. The previous closest race, in 2014, was decided by a margin of 3.46 million votes. Congratulations for Lula — and Brazil — began to pour in from around the world Sunday evening, including from U.S. President Joe Biden, who highlighted the country’s “free, fair, and credible elections.” The European Union also congratulated da Silva in a statement, commending the electoral authority for its effectiveness and transparency throughout the campaign.
Outside Bolsonaro’s home in Rio de Janeiro, ground-zero for his support base, a woman atop a truck delivered a prayer over a speaker, then sang excitedly, trying to generate some energy. But supporters decked out in the green and yellow of the flag barely responded. Many perked up when the national anthem played, singing along loudly with hands over their hearts.
Bolsonaro’s administration has been marked by incendiary speech, his testing of democratic institutions, his widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years. But he has built a devoted base by defending conservative values and presenting himself as protection from leftist policies that he says infringe on personal liberties and produce economic turmoil.
Da Silva has pledged to boost spending on the poor, reestablish relationships with foreign governments and take bold action to eliminate illegal clear-cutting in the Amazon rainforest. Unemployment this year has fallen to its lowest level since 2015 and, although overall inflation has slowed during the campaign, food prices are increasing at a double-digit rate. Bolsonaro’s welfare payments helped many Brazilians get by, but da Silva has been presenting himself as the candidate more willing to sustain aid going forward and raise the minimum wage.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Face Off in Tense Presidential RunoffWith President Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tied in some polls, analysts look to Brazil’s vast Minas Gerais state for early signs of a winner.
Weiterlesen »
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeats President Jair Bolsonaro to once again become Brazil's president, electoral authority saysBrazil's electoral authority said Sunday that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker's Party defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to become the country's next president.
Weiterlesen »
Brazilians voting Sunday in choice between President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaBrazilians were voting Sunday in a polarizing presidential runoff election that pits an incumbent vowing to safeguard conservative Christian values against a former president promising to return the country to a more prosperous past.
Weiterlesen »
Bolsonaro or Lula? U.S. Brazilians cast ballots in their home country's high-stakes runoff electionThe second round of voting between far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and left-wing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has divided the nation as well as Brazilian nationals living abroad.
Weiterlesen »
Guns, God and fake news dominate Brazil's presidential race | CNNGun laws have become a key battleground — alongside religion— ahead of Sunday's presidential election run-off vote between Jair Bolsonaro and his left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Weiterlesen »