Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the leftist Workers’ Party leader, narrowly edged out far-right populist incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to win a fiercely fought runoff election for the Brazilian presidency on Sunday.
Da Silva, the 77-year-old known as Lula, swung just over 50 percent of the vote with Bolsonaro breathing down his neck, according to the country’s electoral authority. Bolsonaro led the race for much of the day, but as Lula overtook him with around 70 percent of the vote counted, car horns began to sound on the streets of downtown São Paulo, according to the Associated Press.
“Our dream is coming true. We need to be free,” an elated 62-year-old man celebrating on São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue told a reporter for The Guardian. “Brazil was in a very dangerous place and now we are getting back our freedom. The last four years have been horrible.”