Lula wins Brazil's presidential election

By Bala Chambers

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva beat far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil’s runoff presidential election Sunday in what some have called the country’s most important polls since its return to democracy.

With 99.55% of the count completed, Lula had garnered 50.88%, receiving 60,048,560 votes, according to data from the Supreme Electoral Court.

Bolsonaro received 49.12% or 57,976,538 votes.

As all of the votes were about to be counted, Lula tweeted “democracy,” with his hand placed over the flag of Brazil, a symbolic gesture after some had accused Bolsonaro of co-opting the national colors for political ends.

Around 156 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots for the next president in the country, where voting is compulsory.

More than 697,000 Brazilians living overseas were also eligible to vote, according to the national public news agency Agencia Brasil.

In the first round of the election on Oct. 2, many polls suggested a clear win for Lula, who garnered 48% compared to Bolsonaro's 43%.

The result meant both candidates were short of the 50% threshold needed for an all-out victory, automatically mandating the second round of voting.

Lula, a former union leader, ran in the 2018 presidential election until a graft and money laundering conviction curtailed his political aspirations. He was sent to prison and Bolsonaro, a former army captain, won the presidency.

In 2019, Lula was released from prison after the ruling against him was overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run for office again.