Brazil re-elects incumbent left-wing President Lula for historic fourth term over Flavio Bolsonaro in shock result

Brazil has re-elected left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for a historic fourth term over Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.Sunday night's shock result defied polling and a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment.Mr da Silva, commonly known as Lula, secured 51.67 per cent of the vote.He squeaked past Mr Bolsonaro, who received 48.24 per cent. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The tight result was not unexpected - the candidates were not separated enough in the first round of voting on October 4 to deliver a decisive result.But better-than-expected turnout in the second round fuelled Lula's victory, with supporters in shock at the win.Leftist lawmaker Erika Hilton praised Lula as a "statesman, a giant" ahead of his victory.Voting was extended an additional two hours after a ruling from Brazil's Supreme Court.Lula requested the extension after he claimed bus delays had prevented some Brazilians from making it to their polling stationsPoll workers admitted confusion in response to the order - one said she asked an employee of the regional electoral court about the situation and "no one knew what was going on".Mr Bolsonaro, who secured more votes in the first round, said the extension was "unacceptable".He added that it was "impossible" to acknowledge the result and said he will ask for the result to be "annulled". Mr da Silva first served as President between 2003 and 2011, but was jailed from 2018 to 2019 on corruption charges that were later overturned.LATEST WORLD NEWS:French Prime Minister calls for social media blackout as CHAOS spreads throughout EuropeBBC STILL calling France riots 'peaceful' as police use water cannons and tear gas and arrest 1,000‘Weekend of reckoning’ in France as over 70,000 police officers deployed to combat mass protestsAnd in 2022, he returned to the presidency by defeating Jair Bolsonaro, becoming, at 77, the oldest leader of Brazil.Mr Bolsonaro, similar to his father, sought a close relationship with US President Donald Trump.In May, he visited the Oval Office, and while Mr Trump did not formally endorse either candidate, the US President praised his success in the first round of voting as a "great victory".Last year, Mr Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Brazil while Jair Bolsonaro faced criminal prosecution for plotting a coup.The elder Mr Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy and is now serving a 27-year prison sentence.The incumbent left-wing Brazilian President, in September, accused the White House of planning to interfere in the election, with Mr da Silva specifically naming US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as someone who was "very closely connected to Bolsonaro's people".Mr da Silva warned that Mr Bolsonaro, if elected, risked handing sovereignty to Washington.Democratic lawmakers, picking up on Lula's rhetoric, wrote to the State Department earlier this year claiming Washington of using "diplomatic, economic, and political pressure in ways that risk weakening [Brazil’s] democratic institutions [and] undermining confidence in Brazil's electoral process".The White House has strongly rejected any claims of electoral interference.Lula also pointed to a track record of falling poverty and inequality, while unemployment, illiteracy and deforestation hit record lows while on the campaign trail. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter