The former Brazilian president (2003-2010), favorite of the election for several months, emerged victorious, despite an ultra-tight ballot against his conservative opponent Jair Bolsonaro.Rio de Janeiro,Left leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected Sunday for a third term at the head of Brazil, distancing by a very short head the outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro who five hours after the official announcement of the results had still not recognized the victory of his rival The president-elect obtained 50.90% votes against 49.10% for Bolsonaro, just over two million votes ahead of 156 million voters. This is the tightest election in the history of Brazil since the return of democracy in 1985, after twenty-one years of military dictatorship, illustrating the establishment of Bolsonarism, called to survive the defeat of its leader. The oldest president of Brazil Lula returns to the presidential palace of Planalto twelve years after leaving power. When he takes office on January 1, he will be at 77 the oldest president in the history of Brazil. He has already announced that this sixth candidacy will be the last. “Now I want to vote for others,” he said Sunday. The former metalworker and trade union leader, born in poverty in the Nordeste, will have had an exceptional destiny and marked half a century in the history of Brazil. Who imagined that, convicted of corruption, he would return to the presidency three years later? “The Nordeste who survived hunger fear nothing”, warned Lula on regaining his freedom after 580 days in prison. At the end of an evening full of emotions and suspense, Lula’s victory was hailed by explosions of joy in the big cities of the country. Jubilant crowds had taken to the streets even before the official announcement, shouts “it’s Lula” rang out, firecrackers and fireworks broke out, horn concerts sounded. Avenida Paulista, the “Champs Élysées” of Sao Paulo, was dark with people from the end of the afternoon. Read also Lula, the extraordinary life of the tireless champion of the Brazilian left In Rio de Janeiro, it was the party in the large square of Cinelandia, in the center, where thousands of people gathered to celebrate Lula’s victory. “I had to go out into the street to party. I am relieved but with the fear that Bolsonaro will not accept the result,” said Luiza Donner, 32, in a bar full of Lula supporters in the Leme district, near the famous Copacabana beach. Just a few dozen meters away, in a Bolsonaro supporters’ bar, real estate agent Jose do Santos wears a green and yellow T-shirt. “I am a democrat, I will respect the verdict of the polls but the defeat of Bolsonaro will bring a lot of problems to Brazil,” he said, citing Venezuela and Argentina. n a “gutter war,” where misinformation and insults eclipsed government agendas, Lula gave a peace-loving victory speech that, beyond his constituents, was addressed to all Brazilians. “It’s time to lay down our arms,” he said, surrounded by his centrist allies, including his running mate Geraldo Alckmin, gathered in a large hotel in Sao Paulo. “Need for peace and unity” “The Brazil needs peace and unity”, insisted the elected president, to reconcile a country fractured by four years of Bolsonaro government. His priority, he said, will be “to end hunger” which affects 30 million Brazilians. He also stressed that Brazil was “ready to resume its leadership in the fight against the climate crisis (…) Brazil and the planet need a living Amazon”. After the announcement of his defeat Jair Bolsonaro isolated himself and did not want to receive either ministers or advisers. His aide-de-camp informed visitors that he had retired to his room “to sleep”, reported O Globo newspaper columnist Lauro Jardim. He specifies that the president could speak on Monday morning. It is the first time in Brazil’s recent history that a sitting president has failed to be re-elected. Read also Jair Bolsonaro, favorite of the most modest out of spite His silence opens a period of uncertainty, with a challenge to the vote and possible unrest fomented by its most radical supporters. After questioning for months the reliability of electronic ballot boxes, he finally admitted Friday evening, in a volte-face which he is accustomed to, that he would respect the choice of voters. “There is not the slightest doubt. Who gets the most votes wins. It is democracy.” But the narrowness of his gap with Lula opens up all possibilities. “I hope that if I win the election, he will have a moment of wisdom and call me to acknowledge the result,” Lula said last Monday. Sunday night, he was still waiting. Several world leaders, such as Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, very quickly congratulated Lula, a way of putting pressure on the current president to quickly recognize his defeat. “His silence is concerning. The fact that he did not admit defeat reinforces the fear that he will not accept the result and will try to organize violent actions, such as the invasion of the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump”, the January 6, 2021, notes political scientist Mauricio Santoro, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. But it is likely that Bolsonaro will be increasingly isolated. The soldiers have already made it known that they would not embark on a putschist adventure. One of his close allies, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira, has already turned the page and reached out to the president-elect. “It is time to disarm the minds.”