Marina Silva is certain Indigenous territories will be preserved
Former Environment Minister Marina Silva said she was certain Indigenous territories would be preserved and saw no risk of illegal miners returning to destroy those populations. The Guardian said Lula’s victory would have profound consequences for the environment and the Amazon rainforest in what it described as the world’s most biodiverse nation. On the eve of the vote, Silva warned that Flávio Bolsonaro, if elected, would seek to finish the “perverse project” of rainforest destruction started by his father, whose 2019-22 administration coincided with a surge in deforestation.
On Sunday night, Silva was in a buoyant mood and told The Guardian: “My heart is happy and filled with gratitude to God and the Brazilian people.” She said: “The thing I most feared was that our Indigenous territories would be invaded again [under another Bolsonaro government]. Now, I am certain that they will be preserved and that there is no risk of illegal miners returning to destroy these populations.”
Lula addressed tens of thousands of supporters in central São Paulo in the early hours of Monday. Lula said, “This is God’s work – and it’s thanks to all of you,” and declared, “Today is a historic day.” He then promised supporters, “Democracy always, dictatorship never again. Democracy always, fascism never again.”
A few hours earlier, Lula had completed what The Guardian described as the most stunning political fightback in modern Brazilian history, bouncing back from a first-round defeat in early October to defeat Flávio Bolsonaro by more than 4m votes in the runoff. Lula won with 64.2m votes to Bolsonaro’s 59.8m, a 51.79% to 48.21% victory, and at least 10m more votes than he secured in the first round. Never, since democracy returned after the 1964-85 military regime, had the first-round loser managed to win the second vote. The result gave Lula a historic fourth term and prompted joyous scenes on the streets of São Paulo and cities across Brazil.
Political leaders and governments from across the spectrum quickly recognized Lula’s victory. Mexico’s leftwing President Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted, “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won.” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote, “The global progressive resurgence has just begun.” UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the victory “a historic win for the global progressive movement” and said his government looked forward to continuing to collaborate on “shared values of democracy, social justice and climate action.”
The Guardian described Chile’s President José Antonio Kast and Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori as rightwing South American leaders who also recognized Lula’s victory. Kast called Lula to offer congratulations, while Fujimori saluted “the Brazilian people for this democratic day.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Democracy and multilateralism have won in Brazil.” A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said, “China respects the choice of the Brazilian people.”
Donald Trump did not comment on the result. The Guardian reported that his administration had been rooting for a Bolsonaro victory that would have seen the so-called pro-Trump “orange wave” continue its sweep across the region into Latin America’s largest democracy. In the lead-up to Sunday’s vote, the US had been accused of seeking to influence the result through a campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure. Erika Hilton, a transgender lawmaker who had recently become Brazil’s most voted-for woman in Congress, said those efforts had failed: “We have defeated the interference of the US government, which thought it could turn our country into its back yard. Brazil and the Brazilians are too gigantic to be anybody’s back yard.”
Lula’s health minister, Alexandre Padilha, told The Guardian shortly after the result was confirmed: “This is a huge victory for the Brazilian people who in the second round had the chance to think about what President Lula means for the environment, for the defence of our national health service and our education system and the Brazilian constitution. And the risks that the extreme right candidate entailed.” Padilha said at the hotel where the president’s team was following the count in São Paulo: “It’s a massive victory – not just for Brazil. It’s also an important signal to the rest of Latin America and to the world.”
The Guardian reported that Flávio Bolsonaro rejected the result, following in the footsteps of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to concede after losing the 2022 election to Lula and was later convicted of plotting a coup. Flávio called Lula’s victory “sacanagem,” a Portuguese word that roughly translates as “bullshit.”
The Guardian wrote that Flávio Bolsonaro’s future looked bleak. At the Brasília mansion where he watched the count, the mood soured as Lula’s victory became clear Sunday night. What began as a lively birthday party turned into something closer to a wake, and crestfallen guests began heading home. One guest approached the dozens of journalists waiting for Flávio Bolsonaro’s speech and shouted that it was the “north-east’s fault,” which The Guardian described as an insult to the region where Lula has historically won most of his votes.
One photograph circulated by Lula supporters appeared to show a dejected Flávio Bolsonaro in tears, although it had been taken on the eve of the vote. Another image showed a red-faced Flávio Bolsonaro flanked by allies who appeared mortified as they came to terms with their defeat. São Paulo’s pro-Bolsonaro governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, sat next to him covering his face with his hand.
Some suspect Flávio Bolsonaro is likely to flee the country to the US when his Senate term runs out in February and he loses parliamentary immunity. The senator faces a series of federal police investigations over suspected misdeeds, including money laundering, although he maintains his innocence.
On Paulista Avenue, where huge crowds had gathered to hear Lula speak, one reveller wore a costume of Flávio Bolsonaro behind bars. The Guardian described Lula supporters as delighted by the prospect that the “far-right politician” might soon join his father in jail. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for his coup attempt. João Maluf, a 27-year-old psychologist, shouted sarcastically as he held up his mobile phone to the crowd to show them a photograph of an apparently distraught Flávio Bolsonaro. “Oh, how awful! Poor little thing!” Maluf shouted. “We want rid of these fucking Bolsonaros,” Maluf said.