Lula beats Bolsonaro but not Bolsonarismo in Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won the runoff election, defeating challenger Flávio Bolsonaro with 51.8 percent of the vote against 48.2 percent, despite poor polling and expert predictions. Lula's victory marks the first time a candidate has overturned the first-round result since Brazil's democratization, though he faces major challenges including strained relations with Washington, a right-leaning Congress, and rising public debt. The result indicates that while Lula defeated Bolsonaro personally, the broader political movement known as Bolsonarismo remains influential, complicating the president's ability to govern effectively in his new term.