Flavio Bolsonaro is refusing to concede defeat to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who bested him by nearly 4.4 million votes, following a chaotic delay in poll closing times ordered by a Supreme Court justice.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic Donald Trump, was reelected Sunday in a result that provides relief to critics of widening U.S. influence in Latin America.

With 100% 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 Flávio Bolsonaro, giving him 51.8% 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’s triumph bucks a regional trend of victories for right-of-center presidential candidates allied with Trump. It also means Latin America’s largest economy, with a GDP of $2.6 trillion per year, will likely continue defying Trump’s demands, despite the pressure of increased tariffs.

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    2 days ago

    How does a far-right nut job get that many votes? Lula isn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination from what I understand, but damn, man, when the choice is crazy dictatory 2.0, the choice is easy.

    • zenitsu@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      18 hours ago

      Even your impression of “He isn’t a saint”, assuming you don’t mean it in the most generic sense that would apply to literally anybody, shows the power of rightwing propaganda.

      • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        8 hours ago

        I haven’t gotten any information about Lula from right wing propaganda. I get it from my friend who lives in Brazil and tells me what he is doing in the country. I don’t live in Brazil, so why would I read about Brazilian politics? Lol

        • zenitsu@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          6 hours ago

          My point isn’t that you got anything directly from Brazilian news. It actually adds to my point that that’s not the case. I’m talking about the power rightwing propaganda has to leave most people with an impression, even when they don’t directly engage much.

    • ☂️-@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      18 hours ago

      a lot of people get informed almost exclusively through neofascist zucc apps or televangelical comprador tv in brazil. shouldn’t be that surprising.

    • joeschmoe@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      2 days ago

      Well, how did a known child-rapist and convicted felon get (re)elected? Also was an easy choice, but I guess a black woman was too far, they’d rather have the child fucker.

      • DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        19 hours ago

        Things I think helped Trump in 2016, and to an extent 2020:

        1. Be a celebrity on television.
        2. Be a billionaire, run in one of the parties, attack all the others running in the primaries, and imply that if you don’t get the nomination, you’ll run as an independent. I think Trump would rather Clinton have won than any other Republican running for President. The GOP didn’t want another 1992, so they gave into him.
        3. Pick the low-hanging fruit. Attack Muslims when Islamic State were committing atrocities, SJWs, and corrupt Democrats (of which there were/are plenty). Exploit weaknesses.
        4. America Uber Alles. Americans don’t need the world.
        5. Luck is a factor.
        • DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          19 hours ago

          I think the cover-up of Biden’s decline was more of a factor.

          Had he resigned in very early 2024 (maybe become a President-emeritus-of-sorts), she acts as President for a few months and shows her stuff, and have real primaries (which she probably would have won if she was half-competent as acting President), she wouldn’t have gotten 1.5% of the popular vote less than Trump, but probably more.

          Also maybe go on Joe Rogan, and maybe be more aggressive in the debate. “Donald Trump, you are such a liar! Please stop lying! You can’t stop lying! Stop lying!” Maybe not even bother debating him.

          • Granbo's Holy Hotrod@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            8 hours ago

            Agree. Ultimately she was a bad choice and a bad candidate who benefited because tRump is such a piece of shit. The Democtartic elite have no respect for the constituents.

        • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          7·
          2 days ago

          Nah the Blue MAGA people would rather infantalize her and point to her race and gender as her reason for losing. Bill Maher would be so proud.

    • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      IDK how did Trump get elected? Oh I know propaganda and a solid chunk of humans being dumber than my stupidest cat, who I should note almost died as a baby due to not even recognizing wet food as food and to this day only eats dry food because that’s what I trained him to eat I have shoved chicken in his mouth and he spat it out.