Brazil's incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won the country's national election, securing an unprecedented fourth term. His win over rival Flávio Bolsonaro comes after a chaotic evening at the polls. A last-minute decision was made to extend voting by two hours, and a Supreme Court justice said the change may trigger legal action by Bolsonaro.
Extended voting and legal threats
Three minutes before the vote was due to end, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ruled to keep polls open for an additional two hours. A Bolsonaro ally noted that Zanin is Lula's former lawyer.
Both candidates had requested that voting be extended: Lula's request came after issues with buses 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.
Political significance and background
Lula, 80, is a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump. His win shifts a trend in Latin America where increasing numbers of right-of-centre presidential candidates allied with the American leader have been winning. It also comes after a tough re-election battle over concerns about the cost of living and security.
Lula 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 won 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.
Celebration and first-round results
The win on Sunday, likely to be the last of the veteran leader's political career, was met with 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.
