Elections in Brazil: Between joy and silence

K.just before 19:00 the image rotated. There was cheering for the Avenida Paulista, in the heart of the metropolis of Sao Paulo. Thousands of supporters of former left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered there on Sunday evening to watch the ballot count between him and right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. When Lula da Silva took the lead, the euphoria knew no bounds. Firecrackers and corks popped. People hugged each other and started singing as it crossed the avenue lined with skyscrapers. At this point, two thirds of the votes were counted. An hour later there were no more doubts. Lula da Silva won the elections with 50.9 percent of the valid votes. In the end, just over two million votes separated him from Bolsonaro, just 1.8 percentage points. Never after the redemocratization of Brazil has a run-off been so close.

As more and more supporters flocked to the fair on Paulista Avenue, Lula da Silva arrived at a hotel on a parallel street. He was welcomed as a hero by the fans present. Shortly thereafter he stopped in front of the press gathered together with his political comrades. That was not his victory and not his party’s victory. “This is the victory of a great democratic project that stands above parties and ideologies,” said the politician and former union leader, who turned 77 a few days ago. Indeed, Lula da Silva has managed to build a broad political alliance against Bolsonaro that reaches as far as the political center. It is supported by numerous personalities who have never voted for Lula da Silva’s Labor Party. Politicians who have distanced themselves in recent years have returned, such as the former Minister of the Environment Marina Silva. New allies and former enemies have joined. The symbol is future vice president Geraldo Alckmin, who once faced Lula da Silva as an opponent in the ballot.