Lula wins the Brazilian elections in a head-to-head race

The Brazilian elections ended in a head-to-head race with a narrow victory for the leftist candidate Lula Da Silva. He received just under 51 percent of the vote, a fraction more than incumbent President Bolsonaro.

Neither candidate has yet responded to the result, announced just before midnight. Lula supporters took to the streets with exuberance while Bolsonaro supporters reacted disappointed

The polls closed at 21:00 Dutch time. In the counting of the votes Bolsonaro was initially far ahead, but during the evening Lula entered and did not give up his one minute lead. Since computers were used to vote, the vote count went quickly.

To follow here count the votes

About 150 million Brazilians were allowed to vote. Public transport was now free in nearly 400 cities to make voting as attractive as possible:

During the polls, there were reports of police officers stopping buses with voters for scrutiny. It is mainly poor Brazilians who use these buses and are generally in favor of Lula. The Brazilian police, on the other hand, employ many of Bolsonaro’s supporters. In the state of Minas Gerais, where it comes down to which candidate gets the most votes, people still had to buy a ticket to go to the polling station on the subway.

According to the Brazilian authority that oversees the conduct of the elections, in the end all those who wanted to cast their vote. “The only problem is that some voters have been delayed.” The polling stations will therefore no longer remain open.

Bolsonaro cast his vote early this morning in a military complex in Rio de Janeiro. “I expect we’ll win, for Brazil’s sake,” he said. Lula voted near Sao Paulo. You defined today the most important day of your life: “I am convinced that the Brazilians will vote for a plan where democracy wins”.