Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election. Bolsonaro, who repeatedly claimed to be the victim of widespread election fraud, has yet to concede..da Silva secured 50.9% of the vote to Bolsonaro's 49.1%. The results were closer than the first round of voting, where da Silva won 48.3% of the vote to Bolsonaro's 43.3% support..READ MORE: 'We are ready for a marathon' Bolsonaro rejoices as Brazil election leads to runoff vote.da Silva rose from poverty to become president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. During his presidency, he built an extensive social welfare program that lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.But da Silva was unable to run in the 2018 presidential election, as he was in jail and barred from running for office. da Silva was found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction company in exchange for contracts with the country's state oil company.."They tried to bury me alive and here I am," da Silva said on Sunday, kicking off his victory speech..In his speech, da Silva promised to fight hunger as "priority number one" and to return Brazil to its previous role at the centre of international affairs..“Starting Jan. 1, 2023, I will govern for the 215 million Brazilians, not just the ones who voted for me. There are not two Brazils. We are one country, one people, one great nation,” he said..Bolsonaro, a retired military officer, had been leader of Brazil since 2018. During his time in office, Bolsonaro courted controversy by reducing protections for the country's rainforests, being slow to implement COVID-19 restrictions, and for his harsh views on Brazil's criminals..But Bolsonaro was able to build an energetic base of support by defending conservative values, attacking political correctness, and presenting himself as a patriot working to save his nation from leftist policies that harm personal liberties and the economy..While Bolsonaro lost the election, lawmakers close to him managed to secure a majority in Congress. As a result, da Lula will face opposition to his policies when he takes office at the beginning of 2023..Early in the election, opinion polls suggested da Silva would win the election by a large margin. When his lead in the first round of voting was much smaller than anticipated, many Brazilians began doubting the accuracy of the results..Bolsonaro's supporters routinely called da Silva a "thief," suggesting the annulment of his conviction does not mean he's innocent. They have also attacked Brazil's media for the biased way they've covered Bolsonaro's campaign..On Monday, videos on social media showed Bolsonaro supporters blocking highways in two states to protest against da Silva’s victory. Bolsonaro previously said he would possibly refuse to accept the electoral outcome.
