Leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has triumphed in the Brazilian presidential elections, beating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro with 50.84% to 49.16% of the vote in the second round run-off.
The 77-year-old Lula garnered the most votes in the first round four weeks ago but failed to clinch the 50% he needed in order to avoid a run-off. His eventual victory over Bolsonaro was significantly tighter than polls predicted.
The former trade unionist was previously head of Latin America’s largest country from 2003 to 2010 and left office with an almost 90% approval rating. He is Brazil’s first democratically elected president to serve a third term.
The election concludes the most polarised — and polarising — campaigns in Brazil's modern history.
Bolsonaro, who during the campaign regularly expressed doubts about the trustworthiness of Brazil's electoral system, has not yet recognised the result, with some of his supporters now openly calling for a military coup.
