Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected as president of Brazil, in a result that provides relief to critics of widening US influence in South America.
Brazil’s electoral court announced Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, had a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, giving him 51.8% of the total vote.
Bolsonaro quickly refused to concede defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled after an evening of chaos at some polling places, that followed a last-minute decision to extend voting by two hours.
Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated to take the presidency in 2022.
Lula’s campaign team published a video showing him celebrating with First Lady Rosângela da Silva and allies after his victory was confirmed.
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