presidential election
Post-election celebrations and protests in Brazil – one dead
Supporters of former President da Silva celebrate his election victory in downtown Rio de Janeiro at night. photo
© Fernando Souza/dpa
Brazil has a new president: Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, defeated Jair Bolsonaro. There is a celebration afterwards, but there are also outbreaks of violence.
According to media reports, a 27-year-old man was shot dead during celebrations after the presidential election in Brazil on Sunday evening.
Four other people were injured in the city of Belo Horizonte, local media reported, citing military police. The fatality celebrated the election victory of left-wing ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a bar. There, both supporters of Lula and the deselected right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro followed the vote count. It was initially unclear whether the act had a political background. The drunk shooter was arrested.
Truck drivers protest against election victory
In several states of the South American country, truck drivers protested against the ex-president’s election victory, the newspaper “Folha de S. Paulo” reported, citing the police. Burning tires could be seen on videos on social networks. Bolsonaro supporters with Brazilian flags called for the country’s highways to be blocked, with some calling for military intervention.
According to official figures, left-wing politician Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, won the runoff on Sunday with 50.9 percent. The right incumbent Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent. Bolsonaro didn’t acknowledge his defeat in the first few hours. During the election campaign, he repeatedly cast doubt on the electoral system and indicated that he might not accept the result.