Lula Wins Fourth Term as Flávio Bolsonaro Sues to Cancel Election

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a fourth term as Brazil’s president after defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a decisive election fightback. Bolsonaro has refused to concede the result and has formally requested that the Supreme Court annul the vote. The outcome marks a historic return to power for Lula, who first took office in 2003 and has now led the country for a total of three previous terms.

The dispute centers on a decision by a supreme court justice to extend voting hours during the election. Flávio Bolsonaro cited this procedural change as the primary reason for seeking to cancel the result. This mirrors the behavior of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who four years ago also refused to acknowledge his defeat to Lula before attempting a coup and later being convicted for those actions.

Tom Phillips, reporting from São Paulo, assessed the likelihood of the legal challenge succeeding. He stated that world leaders are now recognizing Lula’s win and that Bolsonaro has little hope of overturning the result. Phillips described the victory as the crescendo of an incredible, if sometimes controversial, 50-year political career for Lula, the first elected working-class leader of Brazil.

Phillips noted that Lula has helped millions of people escape poverty during his time in office. The reporter added that while the response from the Bolsonaro camp was expected, it is not anticipated to have a major impact on the immediate transfer of power.

In other international news, Israeli forces sealed off Hebron in the occupied West Bank following a gun attack on a military checkpoint that killed two Israeli soldiers. The neighborhood of Farsh al-Hawa, closest to the attack site, was flattened. The Hebron municipality reported that 370 families, nearly 2,000 people, had been displaced from their homes.

The Israeli army stated in official comments that the displaced population left voluntarily. However, Hebron mayor Yousef al-Jabari accused the Israeli state of collective punishment. He said the forces dragged people from their houses and prevented media access, aiming to achieve political goals before the upcoming Israeli elections.

In the United States, Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola suffered minor injuries in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop. She and the occupant of a second vehicle were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Peltola, an Alaska native and former congresswoman, is seeking to become the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate in nearly two decades.

The administration has also moved to dispute the Alaska result preemptively. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended a lawsuit to block certification of the state’s Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The Department of Justice alleges potential voter confusion due to two candidates named Dan Sullivan being on the ballot. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump campaigned in Michigan for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is in a close race with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

In Serbia, long-serving leader Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat after a historic election. He was pitted against a student-led movement that had spent two years protesting against his government. Celebrations erupted in the streets of Belgrade as news broke that Vučić’s 12 years in power had ended.

Other developments include the death of voice actor Eric Bauza, who voiced Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, at age 46 from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. In France, the government is fast-tracking a bill to make protesters pay for damage caused by vandalism, a move critics say curbs the right to protest. Additionally, the US military has granted Elon Musk’s SpaceX access to restricted space tracking data, raising new national security questions among industry observers.