In a closely contested race between incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and his opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazilians cast votes in the second round. Lula is likely to win with over 52% of the votes.
Allegations of Lula and his Workers Party
After voting ended in the heated contest between president Jair Bolsonaro and former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazilians are waiting for the results of their close-call presidential run-off election.
On Sunday, Lula’s Workers Party (PT) complained about police barriers that were put in place allegedly to hinder voting in Lula’s strongholds, particularly in the northeast region.
After voter buses were halted by the police at checkpoints, Brazil’s election chief, Alexandre de Moraes, ruled out extending the voting process. “Although trip of some voters to the polls were delayed, none were completely prohibited from casting a vote,” Mr. Moraes assured reporters at a news conference.
Before the election, Mr. Moraes summoned the chief of the highway police to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to question him about the stopping of buses full of voters.
Result from the first round, opinion polls
Minutes after the polls opened, President Bolsonaro casted his vote in Rio de Janeiro, while Lula chose to cast his vote in his hometown of São Bernardo do Campo in São Paulo state. The voting process was electronic and results will be available shortly after polls close. On the electoral authority’s website people can watch the percentage and numbers in real time.
According to results posted on the Superior Electoral Court’s website, with more than 84 percent of the voting machines counted, Lula received 50.9 percent of the votes and Bolsonaro got 49.1 percent. On October 2, Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2010, won the first round, by a narrow margin predicted by pollsters.
At a military installation in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro was the first person in line to cast his vote. He wore the green and yellow Brazilian flag colors that are always present at his rallies. He told reporters, “I’m expecting our win, for the welfare of Brazil. Brazil will prevail today.”
Wearing a white guayabera-style shirt, surrounded by white-clad comrades, Lula casts his vote in São Bernardo do Campo, the city in the southeast where he used to be a union leader. If elected, he promised to “establish peace” in a divided nation. “confident in the victory of democracy” Lula said after casting his vote
Sunday’s runoff election showed that the nation of 215 million people is deeply divided between fans of conservative ex-army captain Bolsonaro and those of charismatic ex-metalworker Lula, with many others who despise both of the candidates.
According to a recent Datafolha Institute poll, Bolsonaro received 48% of the vote to Lula’s 52% in the first round of voting on October 2. Lula, 77, narrowly won that round. Lula is now considered a slightly favorite candidate. However, surprisingly Bolsonaro, 67, performed better than what was expected from him, according to opinion polls.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva biography and public image
- Age – 77 years
- Ideology – Left-wing
- Former metal worker
- President from 2003-2010
Although, surveys indicate that Lula would win by a slim margin, many voters allege that they do not trust polls because they overestimated the level of support for President Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro biography and public image
- Age – 67 years
- Ideology – Far-right
- Former army captain
- Running for president second time
His followers claim that under the leadership of Bolsonaro the murder rates fell, state businesses that had debt profited, and public security improved.
World Leaders congratulating Lula
Lula was praised by US President Joe Biden for defeating Bolsonaro in a “free, fair, and credible” presidential election. In a statement, Biden congratulated Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on becoming the new president of Brazil following free, transparent, and credible elections.
“In the upcoming future,” Biden added, “I look forward to working with you, to continue the partnership between our two countries.”
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, congratulated Lula and said the election “wrote a new page” in the history of the country. “Together, we will join forces to take on the numerous mutual challenges and strengthen the ties of friendship between our two countries,” the French president tweeted.
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