Lula wins Brazilian election, but Bolsonaro does not concede - Reuters Canada

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Brazilian leftist person Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro successful a runoff election, but the acold close incumbent did not concede decision connected Sunday night, raising concerns that helium mightiness contention the result.

The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) declared Lula the adjacent president, with 50.9% of votes against 49.1% for Bolsonaro. The 77-year-old Lula's inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 1.

It was a stunning comeback for the leftist erstwhile president and a punishing stroke to Bolsonaro, the archetypal Brazilian incumbent to suffer a statesmanlike election.

"So far, Bolsonaro has not called maine to admit my victory, and I don't cognize if helium volition telephone oregon if helium volition admit my victory," Lula told tens of thousands of jubilant supporters celebrating his triumph connected Sao Paulo's Paulista Ave.

In opposition to Bolsonaro's silence, congratulations for Lula poured successful from overseas leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

A root successful the Bolsonaro run told Reuters the president would not marque nationalist remarks until Monday. The Bolsonaro run did not respond to a petition for comment.

Bolsonaro past twelvemonth openly discussed refusing to accept the results of the vote, making baseless claims that Brazil's physics voting strategy was susceptible to fraud.

One adjacent Bolsonaro ally, lawmaker Carla Zambelli, successful an evident motion to the results, wrote connected Twitter, "I PROMISE you, I volition beryllium the top absorption that Lula has ever imagined."

Financial markets mightiness beryllium successful for a volatile week, with investors gauging speculation astir Lula's furniture and the hazard of Bolsonaro questioning results.

The ballot was a rebuke for the fiery far-right populism of Bolsonaro, who emerged from the backmost benches of Congress to forge a caller blimpish conjugation but mislaid enactment arsenic Brazil ran up 1 of the worst decease tolls of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden congratulated Lula for winning "free, just and credible elections," joining the chorus of compliments from European and Latin American leaders.

International predetermination observers said Sunday's predetermination was conducted efficiently. One perceiver told Reuters that subject auditors did not find immoderate flaws successful integrity tests they did of the voting system.

Truck drivers believed to beryllium Bolsonaro supporters connected Sunday blocked a road successful 4 places successful the authorities of Mato Grosso, a large grains producer, according to the road operator.

In 1 video circulating online, a antheral said truckers planned to artifact main highways, calling for a subject coup to forestall Lula from taking office.

PINK TIDE RISING

Lula's triumph consolidates a caller "pink tide" successful Latin America, aft landmark leftist victories successful Colombia and Chile's elections, echoing a determination governmental displacement 2 decades agone that introduced Lula to the satellite stage.

He has vowed a instrumentality to state-driven economical maturation and societal policies that helped assistance millions retired of poorness during 2 presumption arsenic president from 2003 to 2010. He besides promises to combat destruction of the Amazon rainforest, present astatine a 15-year high, and marque Brazil a person successful global clime talks.

"These were 4 years of hatred, of negation of science," Ana Valeria Doria, 60, a doc successful Rio de Janeiro who celebrated with a drink. "It won't beryllium casual for Lula to negociate the part successful this country. But for present it's axenic happiness." A erstwhile national person calved into poverty, Lula organized strikes against Brazil's subject authorities successful the 1970s. His two-term presidency was marked by a commodity-driven economical roar and helium near bureau with grounds popularity.

However, his Workers Party was aboriginal tarred by a heavy recession and a record-breaking corruption ungraded that jailed him for 19 months connected bribery convictions, which were overturned by the Supreme Court past year.

Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Ricardo Brito successful Brasilia, Brian Ellsworth and Lisandra Paraguassu successful Sao Paulo Editing by Brad Haynes, Lincoln Feast and Nick Macfie

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