Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won the presidential elections in Brazil and will remain at the head of the country after defeating the far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The latest balance published by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) places Lula at 51.79% of valid votes, compared to 48.21% for his rival.
The president has gathered 64,256,232 votes, while Bolsonaro has obtained 59,826,041. The victory allows Lula to access his fourth term, after reversing the advantage that the PL candidate had achieved in the first round.
A comeback after the first round result
The outcome changes the order of the October 4 vote. On that day, Flávio Bolsonaro obtained 47.03% of the votes, while Lula obtained 45.16%, according to data released by the electoral authority. Neither reached the necessary majority to avoid a second round.
The victory of the Workers' Party leader has led hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate the result in São Paulo.
Voting was extended by a judicial decision
The day was marked by reported transport difficulties to access polling stations. A precautionary decision by the Federal Supreme Court extended voting hours from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Brasília time in sections that remained open.
The president of the TSE, Kassio Nunes Marques, explained that the resolution was communicated when thousands of ballot boxes had already closed and could not be reopened. The measure forced the adaptation of result processing and caused a temporary suspension of the reception of polling station bulletins.
The TSE balance estimates that 128.2 million people went to vote, out of a census of more than 158 million voters. Abstention was around 19.2%, below the 21.08% of the first round.
