After the elections described as very painful
Brazil bid farewell to "tropical Trump" and hard work awaits da Silva
Da Silva celebrates with his supporters after he managed to return to the presidency for the third time.
archival
Last Sunday, some 120 million Brazilians turned out to vote in the second round of presidential elections, in which Luis Inacio Lula da Silva was able to return to the presidency.
Lula defeated the incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro by 50.9% to 49.1%, and this percentage equals about two million votes for voters.
It was a very painful election, and the final result did not appear until after the votes were tabulated in the 577,000 electoral electronic voting machines.
Lula's victory represented a stark rebuke to Bolsonaro's controversial style of governance, which has earned him the derisive nickname "tropical Trump".
In fact, Bolsonaro was not only admired by former US President Donald Trump, but, like Trump, was widely criticized for his mishandling of the Corona pandemic, which claimed 700,000 deaths in this country, according to the World Health Organization.
In addition, Bolsonaro's deliberate and hostile environmental policies and authoritarian tendencies have made him a pariah in the international media.
Lola's return
Lula, a former president of the republic for two terms from 2003 to 2010, brought his fair share of ideas and problems into these elections.
Indeed, had his conviction not been overturned on judicial technical grounds for his role in "car wash", one of the largest public corruption scandals, Lula would still have served in his prison to complete his sentence of 12 years.
Critics fear his return to power may herald a new wave of graft and incompetence with Brazil's state-owned businesses operating in the economic sphere.
Since the end of the military dictatorship in the 1980s, Brazilians have not faced starkly opposite candidates, each with opposing political views, such as Bolsonaro and da Silva.
With Lula winning by nearly two million voters, while about five million voters left their ballot papers blank, or deliberately spoiled them, it is clear that a large proportion of the electorate did not agree with the candidates' views of the state.
Deeply divided Brazil
Although it's too early to judge, fears that Bolsonaro might not accept the election results, or might stage a coup, quickly dissipated, and conservative media outlets accepted the results. That's good news, but the bad news is that January 1 will come. When Lula is installed as president, he must find a way to govern a country so divided that the parties have lost faith in each other.
Unlike his previous victories, in which Lula came to power with a clear mandate, winning 60% of the elections in 2002 and 2006, this time around he has a narrow victory and will face a Congress that remains largely aligned with Bolsonaro.
Indeed, in the first round of elections in early October, Bolsonaro's allies took the majority of seats in the two lower chambers, as well as Congress.
In addition, the result of the state gubernatorial elections, which appeared last Sunday, indicated that Bolsonaro's allies will apparently govern 14 of Brazil's 27 states, including most of the economically important states, such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Huge to-do list
In this context, Lula will face very huge challenges on multiple fronts, as Brazil's economy has been in a free fall, since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, and has not recovered from that until now.
Hunger has re-emerged as a pressing social concern, while racial inequality has worsened in recent years.
Violence continued in civilian areas to terrorize cities across the country, and systemic corruption remained rampant.
Perhaps most important to the rest of the world, Brazil's role in fighting global warming is undeniable, as this country is home to the largest portion of the Amazon rainforest.
Under Bolsonaro, the deforestation of the Amazon has increased.
Lula highlighted the need to protect the rainforest, during his election victory speech, where he said his administration would "struggle to eradicate deforestation once and for all".
However, marshalling all the political energies sufficient to address these issues in Brazil, with a population of 215 million, will never be easy, but if there is a silver lining to Lula's electoral victory, it is that domestic forces and financial markets seem ready. To extend a helping hand to the next president as he puts his program in power.
Lula will have open hands from the many left-wing leaders in Latin America who have seized power in recent years, as well as financial markets around the world, as investors look with cautious optimism for Brazil's growth prospects under Lula.
It would be wise for Lula to lean on international partners when he begins to form his government.
But most importantly, Lula's success, and the country's success as well, will probably depend on the president's good political skills, his ability to extend an olive branch to the key political leaders who support Bolsonaro, and his aspiration to build a coalition that can help him make his political agenda work.
There is talk of Brazil's right to impeach Lula, a very real possibility with historical precedent given that two of Brazil's eight presidents, who have come to power since the return of democracy in 1985, were removed from office before the end of their tenure.
The stakes are high for Brazil, and the stakes are high for Lula, not only political, but also personal.
• If there is a positive aspect of Lula's electoral victory, it is that the local forces and the financial markets seem ready to extend a helping hand to the next president as he presents his program in government.
• Lula will face very huge challenges on multiple fronts, as Brazil's economy has been suffering from a free fall, since the beginning of the "Corona" pandemic, and has not recovered from that until now.
Eric Weerson ■ American writer
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news