Yesterday, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian elections with 50.9% of the votes in what was a very close election as Jair Bolsonaro won 49.1% of the votes. After a heated campaign full of misinformation and various accusations of corruption on both sides, the results highlighted Brazil’s return to the left and the end to the far right presidency of Bolsonaro. 

During his presidency, Bolsonaro was accused of destroying the Amazon forest as deforestation reached a record level during his presidential term. Furthermore, back in 2021 a Brazilian congressional panel recommended that Bolsonaro should be charged with “crimes against humanity” for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his herd immunity strategy. In addition to this, a report was published by Amnesty International about Bolsonaro’s first 1000 days in power which criticised the human right violations that were committed under his government. The report described his first 1000 days as president as “1000 days without rights”. 

A two-time president between 2003 to 2011 and a former union leader, Lula won the election on a mandate to protect the environment, to restore human rights, to support the poor, and to revive democracy throughout the country. Lula will now embark on his third presidential term in January 2023 as he attempts to reunite the country following the divisive elections with peace, love, and hope. The incoming president highlights the need and the urgency to reunite the country despite the political differences within the country: “We are a single country, a single people, a great nation.” 

At the beginning of the 21st century, Lula was seen as one of the strongmen of the pink tide as Latin America voters voted for left-wing leaders throughout the region, and some argue today that Lula’s return as President confirms the presence of a second pink tide in the Americas. During this time, Brazil gained global prominence and we saw increased levels of regional cooperation throughout the Americas with the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2008 and  the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2010. Furthermore, under Lula, Brazil participated in the creation of the BRICS in 2009. 

However, despite having won the presidency, we must be rather cynical about the changes that Lula can bring as he will have to overcome many obstacles. First of all, the results of the first round which included a general election shows that Bolsonaro’s party, the Liberal Party, has the highest majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies (16.62%) as well as in the Federal Senate (25.39%). The Brazil of Hope (an alliance made up of Lula’s Workers’ Party, the Communist Party and the Green Party) won 13.95% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 12.85% of the seats in the Federal Senate.

Furthermore, as stated in a report by the United Nations Development Programme, the ongoing war in Ukraine is having a negative effect on Brazil as it contributes to increased inflation rates which has led to the increased cost of energy as well as increased food prices.

We must remember that Lula’s third presidential term might seem somewhat different to his previous terms. The ongoing domestic difficulties will impede Brazil’s ability to act on the international stage, hence, Lula’s foreign policy outcomes will be different to what we have previously seen despite his attempt to engage on the international scene. 

*the image used in this article was taken from one of Lula’s tweets.