Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president, has vowed that dictatorship and fascism will never return to Brazil after winning a historic fourth term in power by defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro. “This is God’s work – and it’s thanks to all of you,” Lula told tens of thousands of supporters who had gathered in central São Paulo in the early hours of Monday to celebrate his dramatic election comeback. A few hours earlier, Lula pulled off the most stunning political fightback in modern Brazilian history, bouncing back from a first-round defeat in early October to trounce Bolsonaro by more than 4m votes in the runoff. Lula wins historic fourth term as Brazilian president in defeat of far-right Flávio Bolsonaro Read more “Today is a historic day,” Lula declared, before telling a sea of elated supporters: “Democracy always, dictatorship never again. Democracy always, fascism never again.” Never, since the return of democracy after the 1964-85 military regime, had the first-round loser managed to win the second vote. But Lula did precisely that on Sunday, prompting joyous scenes on the streets of São Paulo and cities all across Brazil. He won with 64.2m votes to Bolsonaro’s 59.8m, a 51.79% to 48.21% victory. It was at least 10m more votes than Lula secured in the first round. While Bolsonaro initially refused to concede, his party acknowledged the election results on Monday, nearly a full day after Lula’s win. “We recognize the presidential election results,” Liberal party head Valdemar Costa Neto said. “But we believe the issues raised need to be properly clarified.” Chart showing increase in second-round voting Lula’s health minister, Alexandre Padilha, told the Guardian shortly after the result was confirmed: “This is a huge victory for the Brazilian people who in the second round had the chance to think about what President Lula means for the environment, for the defence of our national health service and our education system and the Brazilian constitution. And the risks that the extreme right candidate entailed. “It’s a massive victory – not just for Brazil. It’s also an important signal to the rest of Latin America and to the world,” Padilha said at the hotel where the president’s team was following the count in São Paulo. Bolsonaro rejected the result, following in the footsteps of his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to concede after losing the 2022 election to Lula and was later convicted of plotting a coup. He called Lula’s victory “sacanagem”, a Portuguese word that roughly translates as “bullshit”. 1:38 Lula re-elected for fourth term as Bolsonaro refuses to accept Brazil election result – video The US administration had been rooting for a Bolsonaro victory that would have seen the pro-Donald Trump so-called “orange wave” continue its sweep across the region into Latin America’s largest democracy. Trump took almost 24 hours to comment and, on Monday, appeared to endorse Bolsonaro’s claim when asked about Brazil’s election. “It looked terrible to me. I thought it was a terrible look. I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly,” the US president said. How the streets and social media drove Lula to a historic comeback in Brazil Read more When asked if he intended to do anything in response, Trump said: “Well, I’m not running Brazil. I’m running the USA. And I just thought that the election was – I like Lula. I get along with him very well. I just think it had a very bad look, the election, the way it was tabulated. The extension given was very strange.” Other leaders and governments from across the political spectrum were quicker to recognise Lula’s victory. Mexico’s leftwing president, Claudia Sheinbaum, tweeted: “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won.” Spain’s pPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote: “The global progressive resurgence has just begun.” UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called Lula’s victory “a historic win for the global progressive movement” and said his government looked forward to continuing to work together on “shared values of democracy, social justice and climate action.” Right-wing South American leaders also acknowledged Lula’s victory, with Chile’s president, José Antonio Kast, calling Lula to offer congratulations, and Peru’s president, Keiko Fujimori, saluting “the Brazilian people for this democratic day.” View image in fullscreen Lula supporters celebrate in São Paulo. Photograph: Sebastião Moreira/EPA Even Colombia’s far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella – who had publicly backed Bolsonaro and appeared with him in a recent live broadcast on social media – acknowledged Lula’s win, tweeting: “When the people decide at the ballot box, their will is respected because it is sacred. That’s what democracy is all about!” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Democracy and multilateralism have won in Brazil.” A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said: “China respects the choice of the Brazilian people.” Besides Trump, one of the few powerful international voices of dissent was Elon Musk, who claimed the “math doesn’t add up” for Lula’s comeback, ignoring the fact that it did because of the historically low level of abstention in the second round. 9:21 Brazil: how did Lula beat far-right Bolsonaro? | The Latest In the run-up to Sunday’s vote, the US had been accused of trying to influence the result through a campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure. Erika Hilton, a transgender lawmaker who recently became the most voted-for woman in Brazil’s congress, said those efforts had failed. “We have defeated the interference of the US government, which thought it could turn our country into its back yard. Brazil and the Brazilians are too gigantic to be anybody’s back yard,” she said. Lula’s victory will also have profound consequences for the environment and the Amazon rainforest in what is the world’s most biodiverse nation. On the eve of the vote, former environment minister Marina Silva had warned that Bolsonaro, if elected, would seek to finish the “perverse project” of rainforest destruction started by his father, whose 2019-22 administration coincided with a surge in deforestation. On Sunday night, Silva was in a buoyant mood, telling the Guardian: “My heart is happy and filled with gratitude to God and the Brazilian people.” View image in fullscreen Some suspect Flávio Bolsonaro is now likely to flee to the US when his senate term runs out in February. Photograph: Adriano Machado/Reuters She said: “The thing I most feared was that our Indigenous territories would be invaded again [under another Bolsonaro government]. Now, I am certain that they will be preserved and that there is no risk of illegal miners returning to destroy these populations.” For Flávio Bolsonaro, the future looks bleak. As the scale of Lula’s victory became clear on Sunday night, the mood at the Brasília mansion where Bolsonaro was watching the count soured, with what had initially resembled a lively birthday party turning into something closer to a wake. Like football supporters heading for the exits midway through the second half because their team was being thrashed, crestfallen guests began heading home. Map of Brazil election results marked in tints of red and blue One of them approached the dozens of journalists waiting for Bolsonaro’s speech to shout that it was the “north-east’s fault”, insulting the region where Lula has historically won most of his votes. Lula miraculously beat the Brazilian far right and Donald Trump. But have no doubt: the region is still in peril | Jordana Timmerman Read more One photogrA photo circulated by Lula supporters showed a dejected Bolsonaro in tears, although it had been taken on the eve of the vote. Another image showed a red-faced Bolsonaro flanked by visibly mortified allies as they came to terms with their defeat. São Paulo’s pro-Bolsonaro governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, sat next to him covering his face with his hand. On Paulista Avenue, where huge crowds had gathered to hear Lula speak, one reveller wore a costume of Flávio Bolsonaro behind bars. Some suspect the senator is likely to flee the country to the US once his term runs out in February and he loses parliamentary immunity. Bolsonaro is facing a series of federal police investigations over suspected misdeeds including money laundering, although he maintains he is innocent. Lula supporters delighted in the idea that the far-right politician may soon join his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence for his coup attempt, in jail. “Oh, how awful! Poor little thing!” João Maluf, a 27-year-old psychologist, shouted sarcastically as he held up his mobile phone to the crowd to show them a photograph of a visibly distraught Bolsonaro. “We want rid of these fucking Bolsonaros,” Maluf said.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are FAQs about Lulas Democracy always vow after Brazils 2022 election
Beginner questions
1 What did Lula say about democracy after winning the election
He said Democracy always and promised Brazil would never return to dictatorship
2 Who is Lula
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a leftwing politician who was elected Brazils president in October 2022 and took office on January 1 2023
3 Why was his win seen as a defense of democracy
Because his opponent Jair Bolsonaro had repeatedly questioned Brazils voting system and was accused of undermining trust in elections
4 What does dictatorship mean here
It refers to Brazils 19641985 military rule when there were no free elections and political opponents were censored or persecuted
5 Was the election close
Yes Lula won the runoff with about 509 of the vote against Bolsonaros 491 the tightest result since Brazils return to democracy
Intermediate questions
6 Why did Bolsonaros supporters protest the result
Many believed Bolsonaros unproven claims that the electronic voting system was rigged Some blocked roads and camped outside military bases
7 Did Bolsonaro accept the result
He never explicitly conceded but he authorized the transition of power and his administration recognized the outcome
8 What happened on January 8 2023
Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in Brasília similar to the US Capitol attack on January 6 2021 Order was restored the same day
9 What does Democracy always actually mean as a promise
Its a pledge to protect free elections institutions and the rule of law and to reject any authoritarian path
10 What are practical signs a democracy is under threat
Leaders questioning election results without evidence attacks on courts and the press weakening of checks and balances and attempts to politicize the military
Advanced questions
11 How strong are Brazils democratic institutions
Reasonably strong the Supreme Court and electoral court acted decisively against disinformation and the January 8 rioters But
