‘I feel so happy!’: Ecstasy, relief among Brazil’s Lula supporters

• Lula won Brazil’s presidency with 51.8% of the vote, beating Flavio Bolsonaro on 48.2%, as supporters celebrated in Sao Paulo.
• Many voters saw Lula’s win as a defence of democracy, freedom and minority rights, and a rejection of a feared far-right government.
• The result brought relief after Bolsonaro led the first round and polls gave him a slight edge, but he has refused to accept the outcome.

SAO PAULO – Joyful cheers of “Let’s go, Lula!” rose from the jubilant crowd again and again as Brazilians paraded down Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue on Oct 25, celebrating the leftist leader’s improbable election win.

Thousands of people spilled onto the streets following President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory over his right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro.

Lula, who turns 81 on Oct 27, joined the parade, leaning out of the sunroof of his car with a megaphone in his hand and his trademark rasp more hoarse than ever.

“I just had to tell you that I love you. Tomorrow, the fight continues,” he said.

He received 51.8% of the votes compared to 48.2% for former president Jair Bolsonaro’s son, who has refused to acknowledge the result.

“I feel so happy!” 43-year-old Anna Zanatta told AFP before bursting into tears of joy.

“Lula’s victory represents many things for us: freedom, our democracy, our history,” she said, waving a flag bearing the message “Antifascist Action”.

Zanatta viewed a hypothetical Bolsonaro victory as a “threat” to Latin America’s largest democracy.

“I was born under a dictatorship, and I promised my granddaughter that we Brazilians would never go through that again,” she said, referring to the military regime which ruled from 1964 to 1985.

Doorman Alfonso dos Reis, 64, carried a sign reading “Lula again with the strength of the people” alongside a photo of the President.

“We’re going to build a much better country,” he beamed.

Fireworks boomed and cars honked their horns as the crowd marched down Sao Paulo’s main avenue, which turned into a sea of yellow and green as the Brazilian flag covered every square inch of the place.

Lula appeared alongside lawmaker Andre Janones, who created the “Lula’s Army” WhatsApp channel which surged to 10.8 million followers during the second-round campaign.

Lula’s supporters attribute his comeback in part to the lawmaker’s digital battle.

“I owe this victory to the rebellious youth who rose up to defend democracy,” Lula said.

‘No amnesty!’

Mateus Freitas, a 33-year-old theatre actor, waved a flare that sent red smoke into the air, the colour associated with Lula’s Workers’ Party.

“No amnesty! No amnesty!” Freitas yelled at the top of his lungs.

He was referring to attempts to free Jair Bolsonaro, who governed from 2019 to 2022 and is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup following his own electoral loss to Lula in 2022.

His son Flavio had promised to liberate him if elected.

“We stopped a government that would have been a fascist government, led by militias, criminals, racists, homophobes,” Freitas told AFP.

“This is a victory for minorities, for the people, for Brazilian workers... Lula’s government is inclusive,” he said.

Sigh of relief

The leftist victory has swerved Brazil away from a rightward turn, unlike a recent string of wins championed by US President Donald Trump across Latin America.

Flavio Bolsonaro came out on top in the first round of presidential elections, and polls had given him a slight advantage ahead of the run-off.

Those indicators had concerned Felipe Rodrigues, a 53-year-old architect taking part in the celebrations on Oct 25.

“I’m very glad to see that, despite the risks of having a far-right government, which seems to be a global trend, here in Brazil we have a president who continues his efforts to improve the lives of the poor,” he said. AFP