Brazil election

LIVE – Updated at 06:15 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker’s Party has defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tight election to become Brazil’s next president.With 98.8% of the votes tallied in the runoff vote – Lula had 50.8% and Bolsonaro 49.2% – the election authority said his victory was a mathematical certainty.Mr Lula da Silva, the country’s former president from 2003-2010, has promised to restore the country’s more prosperous past but faces headwinds in a polarised society.It is a stunning return to power for Lula, 77, whose 2018 imprisonment over a corruption scandal sidelined him from that year’s election, paving the way for Mr Bolsonaro’s win and four years of far-right politics.His victory marks the first time since Brazil’s 1985 return to democracy that the sitting president has failed to win reelection.World leaders, including US president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron, congratulated Mr Lula da Silva on his victory.His inauguration is scheduled to take place on 1 January. Lula defeats Bolsonaro in presidential raceLula promises to united divided countryWorld leaders congratulate LulaLula’s inauguration scheduled for 1 JanuaryElections regulator denies reports of illegal roadblocks 06:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta During the last Brazilian general election in 2018, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in a prison cell, serving a 12-year sentence on corruption charges as part of the ‘Car Wash’ scandal which shook the foundations of Brazilian politics, threatened to end his career, and paved the way for the controversial, far-right Jair Bolsonaro to triumph in an unlikely victory.On Sunday, he defeated Mr Bolsonaro in a tight election fight that went down to the wire.David Harding writes on Brazil’s new president: © Provided by The Independent From prison to presidency, Brazil’s Lula could make stunning political comeback 05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta Brazil’s new president elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has dedicated his victory to the people of Brazil.In a tweet containing a photograph of crowds, Mr Lula said: ‘The reason for my victory was the dedication of each of you. Who believed in freedom and in the possibility of recovering the country for the Brazilian people.’A razão da minha vitoria foi a dedicação de cada um de vocês. Que acreditaram na liberdade e na possibilidade de recuperarmos o país para o povo brasileiro.