Leading, Lula Defeats Bolsonaro In Brazil's Presidential Election

President of Brazil Lula. (Wikimedia Commons/Marcelo Freixo)

JAKARTA - Left-wing politician Luis Inacio Lula da Silva defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in the second round of elections on Sunday, marking a stunning Lula and the end of Brazil's most right-wing government in decades.

Lula won 50.9 percent of the vote compared with 49.1 percent for Bolsonaro, said the Supreme Elections Court, which declared former President Lula the winner. The inauguration of 77-year-old Lula is scheduled for January 1.

Bolsonaro, 67, who has for years made unsubstantiated claims that Brazil's voting system is vulnerable to fraud, initially remained silent about the results. Electoral authorities anticipate him denying the results, sources told Reuters, and are making security arrangements in case his supporters' protest.

"Democracy," Lula wrote on Twitter, above a photo of the Brazilian flag under her left hand, her little finger missing, due to an accident she suffered as a metalworker decades ago.

He was greeted by jubilant supporters on Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue ahead of the speech. Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and campaign aides jumped up and down chanting, "It's time Jair, it's time to go," in a video circulating on social media.

Lula has vowed to return to state-driven economic growth and social policies that helped lift millions out of poverty when he was president from 2003 to 2010.

He also pledged to fight the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which is now at its peak in 15 years, making Brazil a leader in global climate talks.

A former union leader born into poverty, Lula organized strikes against Brazil's military government in the 1970s. His two presidential terms were marked by an economic boom, fueled by commodities and he left office with record popularity.

However, his Labor Party was then hit by a deep recession and a record-breaking corruption scandal, jailing him for 19 months on bribery charges, which were overturned by the Supreme Court last year.

In his third term, Lula will face a sluggish economy, tighter budget constraints and a more hostile legislature.