'Democracy Always, Dictatorship Never Again': Lula's Vow in São Paulo after Election Win
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has vowed that dictatorship and fascism will never return to Brazil, after winning a historic fourth term in power by defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro.
In the early hours of Monday, Lula told tens of thousands of supporters gathered in central São Paulo: 'This is God's work — and it's thanks to all of you.' He added: 'Today is a historic day. Democracy always, dictatorship never again. Democracy always, fascism never again.'
A few hours earlier, Lula had pulled off the most stunning political fightback in modern Brazilian history, bouncing back from a first-round defeat in early October to trounce Bolsonaro by more than 4 million votes in the runoff.
Lula won 64.2 million votes to Bolsonaro's 59.8 million — a 51.79% to 48.21% victory. That was at least 10 million more votes than Lula secured in the first round.
Never, since the return of democracy after the 1964–85 military regime, had the first-round loser managed to win the second vote. Lula did precisely that on Sunday, prompting joyous scenes on the streets of São Paulo and cities across Brazil.
Lula's health minister, Alexandre Padilha, said 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.' He added that it was also an important signal to the rest of Latin America and to the world.
Flávio Bolsonaro, however, rejected the result, calling Lula's victory 'sacanagem', a Portuguese word that roughly translates as 'bullshit'. His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, also refused to concede after losing to Lula in 2022 and was later convicted of plotting a coup.
Leaders and governments worldwide have congratulated Lula on his dramatic comeback.
