Brazil’s left-wing President Lula elected for fourth term, beating Flávio Bolsonaro in knife-edge vote

Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected for a fourth term in the presidential runoff, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a close vote. With all votes counted, Lula secured 51.8% of the vote, a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over Bolsonaro. The election saw extended voting hours due to confusion at polling stations, with Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruling to keep the polls open for two additional hours.

Lula's win is seen as a relief to those who oppose growing US influence in Latin America and allows Brazil to maintain its independence from the US, despite higher tariffs imposed by the US.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.