BRAZIL’S President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, was reelected on late Sunday night in a result that provides relief to critics of widening US influence in Latin America. With 100 per cent of the vote counted, Brazil’s electoral court announced that the soon-to-be 81-year-old Lula had a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over opponent Flavio Bolsonaro, giving him 51.8 per cent of the total vote. Bolsonaro quickly refused to concede defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled after an evening of chaos at some polling places that followed a last-minute decision to extend voting by two hours. Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated to take the presidency in 2022. Lula is set to begin his fourth non-consecutive term as President on January 5, 2027. Lula’s triumph bucks a regional trend of victories for right-of-centre presidential candidates allied with Trump. It also means Latin America’s largest economy, with a GDP of USD 2.6 trillion per year, will likely continue defying Trump’s demands, despite the pressure of increased tariffs. LULA SAYS BRAZIL IS NOT ANYONE’S BACKYARD’: A video published by Lula’s campaign shows the veteran leader celebrating with First Lady Rosangela da Silva and allies after his runoff victory was confirmed by Brazil’s electoral court. Wearing star-shaped red glasses, he kissed his wife.

 

Speaking to his supporters, thousands of whom gathered on Sao Paulo’s main artery and in Rio de Janeiro’s Cinelandia Square, Lula expressed his gratitude to the Brazilian people and pledged to respect all Brazilians, regardless of gender or religion. He also attacked Bolsonaro. BOLSONARO REJECTS RESULTS AFTER CONFUSION AT POLLING PLACES: The electoral court’s announcement ended an evening of confusion at polling places after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled three minutes before the scheduled end of voting to keep polls open for two more hours, following requests by both candidates. Lula’s request came after issues with buses that provide transportation to polls in Sao Paulo and Salvador, two cities that tend to favour the incumbent. Bolsonaro’s request was due to heavy rains in Brazil’s south, where he is favoured. The decision delayed tallying the votes by two hours. PM MODI CONGRATULATES LULA ON HIS RE-ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his “remarkable re-election victory” and said he is looking forward to working closely with him to further deepen and expand the multifaceted strategic partnership between the two countries. Lula was re-elected as President of Brazil on Sunday. “Heartiest congratulations to my dear friend, President Lula, on his remarkable re-election victory. I look forward to working closely with him to further deepen and expand the multifaceted India-Brazil Strategic Partnership,” Modi said in a post on X.