Lula wins fourth term in Brazil, defying Latin America's rightward shift

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 08:31 · Archive

Brazilian leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated conservative Flávio Bolsonaro with 51.8% of the vote on Sunday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term on Sunday, defeating conservative Flávio Bolsonaro with 51.8% to 48.2% in a runoff election. The result breaks a streak of seven consecutive conservative presidential victories across the region in the past 18 months and cements Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, as a counterweight to Washington.

For the Trump administration, Lula's victory complicates its campaign to enlist Brazil in a military coalition against cartels and to gain preferential access to the country's critical minerals. The administration has used tariffs, sanctions and military force to reassert dominance in the region. Analysts say a Bolsonaro victory would have left Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum as the only progressive president among the region's major powers.

Yet both sides see reasons to cooperate. Washington wants access to Brazil's vast trove of rare earths to reduce its defence industry's reliance on China. Lula seeks foreign investment and tariff relief for Brazilian exporters. Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said: 'Lula is pragmatic enough to work out some kind of modus operandi with the Trump administration,' adding that the Bolsonaros' allies in Washington would likely lose influence after the family's second electoral defeat.

How it is being reported

• Lula’s win in Brazil bucks a regional shift to the right and denies Trump a powerful allyBrazilian voters have denied Latin America’s resurgent right its ultimate prize.Clickorlando · 26 Oct, 08:03
• Lula’s win in Brazil bucks a regional shift to the right and denies Trump a powerful allyBrazilian voters have denied Latin America’s resurgent right its ultimate prize.News4Jax · 26 Oct, 08:03

In this story: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Flávio Bolsonaro · Donald Trump · Brazil · Latin America · Mexico · Claudia Sheinbaum

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