Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's former president, speaks during a campaign event at Vale do Anhangabau in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. Datafolha election poll released on Thursday showed incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro narrowing the gap to front-runner Lula to 15 percentage points from 18 points in July and 21 points in May. Photographer: Victor Moriyama/Bloomberg
Locked
Lula narrowly wins Brazil’s presidency in historic comeback
Lula da Silva won in a dramatic comeback for the left-wing politician who was languishing in a jail cell for corruption just three years ago.
By Simone Iglesias and Andrew Rosati
(Bloomberg) — Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election in a dramatic comeback for the left-wing politician who was languishing in a jail cell just three years ago on corruption charges.
He defeated the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro with 50.9% to 49.1% of the votes in Sunday's runoff vote, according to the official tally. It signals a change in direction for Latin America's largest economy after a heated campaign that showed extreme polarization among the electorate, and marks the first time a sitting president in Brazil has lost a reelection bid.
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