Lula beats Bolsonaro in Brazil election to win unprecedented fourth term

Lula beats Bolsonaro in Brazil election to win unprecedented fourth term Lula first became president in 2002 before a series of wins and losses that lead to his fourth term. He began his political career in the 1970s as a union leader. Brazil's incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has beaten his rival to win an unprecedented fourth term. With 100% of the vote counted, Brazil's electoral court has announced. Lula's win follows a chaotic evening at the polls, where a last-minute decision was made to extend voting by two hours. The win also comes as a Supreme Court justice said the change may trigger legal action by Bolsonaro. Just three minutes before the vote, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled to keep polls open for two more hours, following requests by both candidates. A Bolsonaro ally noted that Zanin is Lula's former lawyer. Lula's request came after issues with buses that provide transportation to polls in Sao Paulo and Salvador, two cities that tend to favour the incumbent. Bolsonaro's request was due to heavy rains in Brazil's south, where he is favoured. The 80-year-old leader is a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump and his win bucks a trend in Latin America where increasing numbers of right-of-center presidential candidates allied with the American leader have been winning. Lula's win comes after a tough re-election battle over concerns about the cost of living and security. He began his political career in the 1970s as a union leader. He then helped found the Workers' Party, which he represented as a presidential candidate three times until he finally won it in 2002. He was re-elected four years later and was succeeded by one of his cabinet ministers, Dilma Rousseff, in 2010. She was re-elected in 2014. Sunday's victory will likely be the last of the veteran leader's political career. The announcement was followed by celebration by Lula's supporters inside and outside of the Sao Paulo hotel where he watched the count with First Lady Rosângela da Silva. It is the first time since Brazil's military dictatorship ended in 1985 that the second-highest vote-getter in the first-round elections won the presidency. Bolsonaro secured 47% of the vote in the first round compared to Lula's 45% - a difference of 2.2 million votes. Lula will turn 81 on Tuesday.