In a dramatic reversal, Brazil’s 80-year-old president, Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, has secured a fourth term in office, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio had finished first in the opening round of the election three weeks ago, and his political camp had performed strongly in congressional and gubernatorial elections. Lula’s victory, with almost 52 per cent of the vote and a substantial margin of nearly 4.4 million votes, was decisive. But the election was marred by the badly managed extension of voting hours.

Lula’s fourth term will begin in an extremely hostile environment, amid accusations of foul play on election night

Lula’s fourth term will begin in an extremely hostile environment, amid accusations of foul play on election night

It was a night of confusão and emoção. But who, in Brazil, would have expected otherwise? For the left, the stakes extended far beyond the presidency. With Flávio in pole position, it was now all or nothing for Lula and his compatriots in the ultra-left Workers’ party (PT). Losing the presidency would have meant losing access to the political patronage, appointments and public resources that come with control of the executive.

As voting drew to a close on Sunday afternoon, both camps sought to extend the voting hours, citing difficulties affecting their supporters. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign pointed to severe weather in parts of the south, while the PT complained of disruptions to public transport in ten other states. Things escalated quickly. Unproven accusations by the Workers’ party that right-wing mayors were deliberately stopping buses from ferrying their supporters to polling stations even led Lula to call for arrests.

The electoral authority had not ruled on either party’s request........

© The Spectator