Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will be president of the republic for the next 4 years. This Sunday, 30, the opposition candidate won the second round against Jair Bolsonaro (PL), current president and who was seeking re-election. With 50.9% of valid votes, compared to 49.1% for Bolsonaro, this was the fiercest electoral contest in history.
President of the republic between 2003 and 2010, Lula, 77 years old, will assume on January 1, 2023, his third term as head of the executive branch. The vice president-elect is Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), a former political opponent of PT and former governor of São Paulo.
Lula won the presidential race less than three years after leaving prison. Between April 2018 and November 2019, he was held in the Federal Police prison in Curitiba (PR), accused of corruption and money laundering, as a result of Operation Lava-Jato.
The release of the politician took place after the Federal Supreme Court (STF) overturned the conviction in the second instance. In 2021, the Supreme Court revoked the convictions for understanding that former Judge Sergio Moro, responsible for the case, acted partially. The analysis, still, was that when they were judged in Curitiba, the cases did not occur in the correct jurisdiction.
The coalition led by PT and PSB brought together, from left to center-right, eight parties. In addition to PT and socialists, Lula’s coalition included PCdoB, PV, Psol, Rede Sustentabilidade, Agir, Avante, Solidariedade and Pros. In the second round, the PT obtained even more allies.
Third place in the voting of the first round, senator Simone Tebet (MDB-MS) joined the PT campaign, as well as former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, from the PSDB. Economists linked to the Real Plan, such as Armínio Fraga, also declared their vote for Lula.
Lula promises not to run for reelection in 2026
Lula has publicly stated that he will only remain in office until December 2026. The president-elect has declared on more than one occasion that he has no interest in seeking reelection. Before reaching the presidency in 2002, Lula ran in 1989, 1994 and 1998 – being defeated. Before that, PT was one of the federal deputies who helped draft the Constitution.
Alckmin, the deputy, is a doctor. Opponents in 2006, when Lula was reelected, they came together this year, after the former governor of São Paulo left the PSDB.
It is worth mentioning that several international leaders have already congratulated Lula on his victory, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Argentine President Alberto Fernández, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, English Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, among others.
 will be president of the republic for the next 4 years. This Sunday, the PT candidate won the second round.){kind=link}