Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has staged a comeback to Brazil’s political power as he narrowly won the country’s presidential election. His victory was celebrated yesterday by world leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari.
The leftist leader and two-time former president pledged to unite the divided country, while his rival, incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, had yet to concede defeat.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), after a divisive campaign which saw two bitter rivals on opposite sides of the political spectrum go head-to- head, Lula won 50.9% of the votes.
It was enough to beat Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters had been confident of victory.
But the division which this election has highlighted is unlikely to vanish.
It is a stunning comeback for a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office.
He had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras.
Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was annulled and he returned to the political fray.
“They tried to bury me alive and here I am,” he said, kicking off his victory speech.
Since the announcement, congratulations have been coming in from leaders around the world, including United States (US) counterpart President Joe Biden, who noted the result came “following free, fair, and credible elections”. He added he was looking forward to continuing co-operation.
On his part, Buhari congratulated Lula da Silva for winning a hard-fought, divisive runoff election.
In congratulating the new leader on staging an astonishing comeback after leaving office and serving jail term, President Buhari in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu said he hoped that Lula as President will further enhance the excellent relations between our two states.
“I look forward to working together with the newly elected President of Brazil to continue the excellent bilateral cooperation and growing trade relations between our two countries,” the President added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also offered his “sincere congratulations”, saying the results had confirmed Lula’s “impressive political authority”.
India’s Narendra Modi said he looked forward to deepening ties, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “I look forward to working together on the issues that matter to the UK and Brazil, from growing the global economy to protecting the planet’s natural resources and promoting democratic values.”
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