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Brazil Election: Bolsonaro Defeated as Lula Makes Comeback
Brazil has taken a turn to the left as former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential election.
BBC 31 Oct 2022
After a divisive campaign which saw two bitter rivals on opposite sides of the political spectrum go head to head, Lula won 50.9% of the votes.
It was enough to beat Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters had been confident of victory.
But the division which this election has highlighted is unlikely to vanish.
It is a stunning comeback for a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office.
He had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil's state oil company Petrobras.
Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was annulled and he returned to the political fray.
"They tried to bury me alive and here I am," he said, kicking off his victory speech.
Five key facts about Lula
Lula in n Sao Paulo, Brazil, 30 OctoberImage source, Reuters
Image caption,
Lula embraced his wife Rosangela after his victory
77 years old
Left-wing
Former metal worker
President from 2003-2010 Imprisoned in 2018 but conviction was later thrown out
Opinion polls suggested from the start that he would win the election, but when his lead in the first round was much narrower than predicted, many Brazilians started to doubt their accuracy.
Jair Bolsonaro's backers - encouraged by their candidate's allegations that "the establishment" and the media were against him and therefore underplaying his support - had complete faith in his victory.
The left-wing leaders victory is likely to rankle with these Bolsonaro fans, who routinely label Lula "a thief" and argue that the annulment of his conviction does not mean he was innocent, just that the proper legal procedure was not followed.
And while Jair Bolsonaro has lost, lawmakers close to him won a majority in Congress, which means that Lula will face stiff opposition to his policies in the legislative body.
But Lula, who served two terms in office between January 2003 and December 2010, is no stranger to forging political alliances.
As his vice-presidential running mate he chose former rival Geraldo Alckmin, who ran against Lula in previous elections.
His strategy of creating a "unity" ticket seems to have paid off and drawn voters into the fold who may not have consider otherwise casting a ballot for his Workers' Party.
In his victory speech, he struck a conciliatory tone, saying he would govern for all Brazilians and not just those who voted for him.
"This country needs peace and unity. This population doesn't want to fight anymore," he said.
Jair Bolsonaro has yet to concede. The campaign had in part been so tense because the far-right president had cast doubts - without offering any evidence - on the reliability of Brazil's electronic voting system.
This fomented fears he might not accept the result if it went against him.
A day before the second round however, he stated that: "There is not the slightest doubt. Whoever has more votes, takes it [the election]. That's what democracy is about."
Five key facts about Bolsonaro
Brazil's President and presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro looks on at a polling station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 30, 2022.Image source, Reuters
67 years old
Far-right
Former army captain
Running for a second consecutive term
Has cast unsubstantiated doubts on the trustworthiness of Brazil's electronic voting system
On election day itself, busses carrying voters to the polls were stopped by police in what Lula's campaign said was an attempt to prevent them from voting.
The head of the electoral court, Alexandre de Moraes, ordered the highway police to lift all roadblocks and checks.
He said that while some voters had been delayed, none had been prevented from voting. But the incidents raised tensions considerably.
Now there is much expectation as to when and what Mr Bolsonaro will say now that it is official that fewer votes were cast for him than for Lula.
The election has not just been closely watched in Brazil, but also abroad, with environmental activists in particular worried that another four years of a Bolsonaro government would have led to further deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Lula referred to these fears in his victory speech saying that he was "open to international co-operation to protect the Amazon".
"Today we tell the world that Brazil is back. It is too big to be banished to this sad role of global pariah," he added in a dig at his rival.
But at the heart of his speech was a promise to tackle hunger, which has been on the rise in Brazil and which is affecting more than 33 million.
Key to Lula's popularity during his first two terms in office was lifting millions of Brazilians out of poverty.
But in a post-pandemic economy, finding the finances to recreate that feat will not be an easy task, especially if he is hampered by a hostile Congress.
__________________ AMERICA WAS ONCE AN INNOVATED & RESPECTED COUNTRY and THEN ALONG CAME TRUMP.....
That buzz you hear is George Washington spinning in his grave
Re: Brazil Election: Bolsonaro Does a TRUMP -Doesn't Concede Election
Brazils' Bolsonaro Doesn't Concede Election But Authorizes Transition
Bolsonaro’s address didn’t mention election results — he lost by a thin margin — but he said he will continue to follow the rules of the nation’s constitution.
BBC News 2 NOV 2022.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro sidestepped conceding to president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who he lost to in Sunday's runoff election, but said he respected the constitution though did not mention a government transition to Lula. …
Pro-Bolsonaro Protests:
Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have blocked roads across the country after he lost Sunday's election. Former leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won by a little more than 1 percent. Bolsonaro has still not publicly conceded defeat.
__________________ AMERICA WAS ONCE AN INNOVATED & RESPECTED COUNTRY and THEN ALONG CAME TRUMP.....
That buzz you hear is George Washington spinning in his grave
Lula Sworn in as President of Brazil Ator Corruption Investigation.
Party officials were jailed, including Lula — whose convictions were later annulled on procedural grounds.
Predecessor Bolsonaro Flew to US
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been sworn in as the new president of Brazil - the third time he has held the country's highest office.
BBC News 2 JAN 2023 .
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been sworn in as the new president of Brazil - the third time he has held the country's highest office.
The veteran left-wing politician, known widely as Lula, also led the country between 2003 and 2010 - and defeated Jair Bolsonaro in October's poll.
The credibility of Lula and his Workers' Party were assailed by a sprawling corruption investigation. Party officials were jailed, including Lula — whose convictions were later annulled on procedural grounds. The Supreme Court then ruled that the judge presiding over the case had colluded with prosecutors to secure a conviction.
Lula and his supporters have maintained he was railroaded. Others were willing to look past possible malfeasance as a means to unseat Bolsonaro and bring the nation back together.
But Bolsonaro's backers refuse to accept someone they view as a criminal returning to the highest office. And with tensions running hot, a series of events has prompted fear that violence could erupt on inauguration day.
In his first speech, Lula vowed to rebuild a country in "terrible ruins".
He decried the policies of his predecessor, who went to the US on Friday to avoid the handover ceremony.
A sea of Lula supporters gathered in front of Congress since early in the morning - decked out in the red colour of his Workers' Party. They travelled to see their leader sworn in - but also for a celebration.
More than 60 artists - including Samba legend Martinho da Vila - were booked to perform on two giant stages decorated in the national flag as part of a music festival dubbed "Lulapalooza".
"Love has won over hate," read one banner carried by a man dressed as Lula - complete with a presidential sash.
"Brazil needed this change, this transformation," said another backer of the incoming leader as she queued for Sunday's festivities.
Juliana Barreto - who is from Lula's home state Pernambuco - told the BBC that her country was "a disaster" previously.
Lula and incoming Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin paraded through the city on an open-top convertible before proceeding to the Congress building - where the swearing-in occurred at the start of the formal inauguration ceremony.
The men have spent the past days selecting their cabinet and appointing supporters to key state-owned businesses.
Shortly after being sworn in, Lula sought to instil a sense of hope in the people of Brazil and promised to "rebuild the nation and make a Brazil of all, for all".
There were several instances when he got out his hanky. His most emotional moment came when speaking to the Brazilian people after the swearing-in ceremony - he started sobbing when talking about those who beg at traffic lights, desperate for food.
__________________ AMERICA WAS ONCE AN INNOVATED & RESPECTED COUNTRY and THEN ALONG CAME TRUMP.....
That buzz you hear is George Washington spinning in his grave
Far-Right Rioters Storm Brazils' Congress and Top Court
Brazil Protests: Lula Vows to Punish Congress Invaders
Bolsonaro Supporters Storm National Congress
BBC News .9 JAN 2023
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has vowed to punish supporters of the country's ex-leader, Jair Bolsonaro, after they stormed Congress. The dramatic scenes - which saw hundreds of protesters clad in Brazil football shirts and flags - come just a week after Mr da Silva's
inauguration.
Supporters of the ousted far-right leader also stormed the Supreme Court and surrounded the presidential palace.
The national guard has been ordered into Brasilia to restore order.
The president has also ordered the closure of the centre of the capital - including the main avenue where governmental buildings are - for 24 hours. Local media report that security forces have re-taken control of the area, but officials have yet to confirm this.
Mr Bolsonaro has repeatedly refused to accept that he lost October's election and last week left the country instead of taking part in inaugural ceremonies, which would have seen him hand over the iconic presidential sash.
The 67-year-old - who is believed to be in Florida - has yet to comment on the violence.
Mr da Silva - better known as Lula - said there was "no precedent in the history of our country" for the scenes seen in Brasilia and called the violence the "acts of vandals and fascists".
And he took aim at security forces whom he accused of "incompetence, bad faith or malice" in the failure to stop demonstrators accessing Congress.
"You will see in the images that they [police officers] are guiding people on the walk to Praca dos Tres Powers," he said. "We are going to find out who are the financiers of these vandals who went to Brasilia and they will all pay with the force of law."
Video shared by the Brazilian outlet O Globo showed some officers laughing and taking photos together as demonstrators occupied the congressional campus in the background.
Brazilian President Lula says Congress invaders will be punished
US President Joe Biden tweeted: "I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined."
Some protesters smashed windows, while others reached the Senate chamber, where they jumped on to seats and used benches as slides.
Footage on social media shows protesters pulling a policeman from his horse and attacking him outside the building. Earlier, police had used tear gas but failed to repel the crowd.
It is unclear if the protesters are still in the building, but footage broadcast by national media showed police detaining dozens of protesters in their yellow jerseys outside the presidential palace.
Other suspects - whose hands were bound behind their backs - were also seen being led out of the building.
Protesters had been gathering since morning on the lawns in front of the parliament and up and down the kilometre of the Esplanada avenue, which is lined with government ministries and national monuments.
Security had appeared tight, with the roads closed for about a block around the parliament area and armed police pairs guarding every entrance into the area.
The BBC had seen about 50 police officers around on Sunday morning local time and cars were turned away at entry points, while those entering on foot were frisked by police checking bags.
Demonstrators were quick to defend their actions when approached by reporters.
Lima, a 27-year-old production engineer, said: "We need to re-establish order after this fraudulent election."
"I'm here for history, for my daughters," she told AFP news agency.
But others in the capital expressed outrage at the violence and said the attack marked a sad day for the country.
"I voted for Bolsanaro but I don't agree with what they're doing," Daniel Lacerda, 21, told the BBC. "If you don't agree with the president you should just say it and move on, you shouldn't go hold protests and commit all the violence like they're doing."
And many are drawing comparisons with the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 by supporters of Donald Trump, an ally of Mr Bolsonaro.
Mr Bolsonaro's supporters are calling for military intervention and the resignation of Lula. The populist leader has previously defended the country's brutal military dictatorship that governed the country for over 20 years.
Bolsonaro supporters created camps in cities across Brazil, some of them outside the military barracks. That is because his most ardent supporters want the military to intervene and make good elections that they say were stolen.
It looked like their movement had been curbed by Lula's inauguration - the camps in Brasilia had been dismantled and there was no disruption on the day he was sworn in.
But Sunday's scenes show that those predictions were premature.
Justice and Public Security Minister Flavio Dino called the invasion an "absurd attempt to impose [the protesters'] will by force".
"It will not prevail," he wrote on Twitter.
Police used tear gas in an attempt to repel protesters
Leaders from Latin America have condemned the violence:
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said Brazil had his country's "full support in the face of this cowardly and vile attack on democracy".
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said "fascism [had] decided to stage a coup".
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico expressed "full support for President Lula's administration, elected by popular will".
The EU's top foreign policy official, Josep Borrell said he was "appalled" by the attack and said "Brazilian democracy will prevail over violence and extremism".
And French President Emmanuel Macron said the "will of the Brazilian people and the democratic institutions must be respected" and pledged the "unfailing support of France" to Lula.
Lula is currently on an official trip in São Paulo state. In his inauguration speech, he vowed to rebuild a country in "terrible ruins".
__________________ AMERICA WAS ONCE AN INNOVATED & RESPECTED COUNTRY and THEN ALONG CAME TRUMP.....
That buzz you hear is George Washington spinning in his grave
Rioters Storm Brazils' Congress & Top Court
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