Lula wins Brazil's presidential election, defeating Bolsonaro

Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the runoff election against right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, securing another term with 51.75 percent of the vote. The 80-year-old's victory blocks the Bolsonaro camp's attempt to shift Latin America's largest economy rightward. Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had campaigned on closer ties with Washington under Donald Trump. Lula's tenure saw record-low unemployment, reduced poverty, and decreased Amazon deforestation, though high debt and a pension fraud scandal fueled public discontent. Lula faces a difficult fourth term with a strengthened right-wing opposition, as Bolsonaro's Liberal Party became the largest force in Congress. He must build coalitions with centrist parties while addressing security concerns and maintaining tensions with the Trump administration.