Brazil’s Leftist President Wins Re-Election After Controversial Last-Minute Order– trendingpoliticsnews.com

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s incumbent left-wing president secured a shocking fourth term victory on Sunday, October 25, defeating Liberal Party Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential runoff. The election immediately generated controversy due to a controversial judicial order in which a single Brazilian Supreme Court Justice — who previously worked as a personal attorney for Lula — extended voting for two hours after polls were set to close.

With approximately 99.9 percent of polling sections tabulated by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Lula received about 51.77 percent of valid votes (roughly 64.17 million) to Bolsonaro’s 48.23 percent (roughly 59.79 million), a margin of about 4.38 million votes. Abstention declined from roughly 21 percent in the first round to about 19 percent in the second.

The outcome constituted a significant reversal from the opening round. In the October 4 first round, Bolsonaro led with approximately 47 percent to Lula’s 45 percent, ahead by about 2.2 million votes. No candidate since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1989 had finished second in the first round and won the runoff.