Brazilian presidential election 2022fileWith just under 51% of the vote, Lula was elected head of Brazil after an outrageous campaign. Despite this victory on the wire, the country remains more than ever divided and the days to come look tense. It was a duel at the top, between two personalities as popular as they are hated in Brazil. And it is finally Lula who wins with just under 51%. End point of a campaign at loggerheads, debates punctuated with insults and a torrent of disinformation poured out on social networks. The 156 million Brazilians called to the polls finally decided to renew the former metallurgist in power. It is a victory on the wire, with a very small lead compared to the polls which gave him a clear winner a few months ago. With 99.97% of the ballots counted, Lula won 50.9% of the vote against 49.1% for Jair Bolsonaro, the smallest difference since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985. The latest polls from the institute Datafolha on the eve of the election gave a gap of 4 points. As in the first round, where Bolsonaro scored far higher than expected, they overstated the Workers’ Party leader’s lead. Arms raised, body hoisted through the sunroof of a black car, the new President-elect was cheered by the crowd gathered outside his residence in Sao Paulo, where he followed the count. “We have come to the end of one of the most important elections in our history,” he tweeted a few minutes after his victory. An election that brought face to face two opposing projects for the country, and which today has only one big winner: the Brazilian people. Uma eleição que colocou frente a frente owe projectos opostos de país, e que hoje tem um único e grande vencedor: o povo brasileiro.— Lula 13 (@LulaOficial) October 30, 2022 “Brazil needs peace and unity” , insists Lula during his first speech before announcing that his country “is back”, that he will no longer be “a pariah”. And to also insist on the need, for his country as for the rest of the world, to keep the Amazon “alive”. The icon of the Latin American left therefore begins a third mandate after having occupied the presidency between 2003 and 2011. This time at the head of a country divided at the highest point. The task promises to be difficult because he will have to govern with a Congress where the far right of Jair Bolsonaro is better represented. The Liberal Party, which he represents, won 99 seats on 2nd October last. In the Senate, he won 14 against 8 for Lula’s Workers’ Party. French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the first to react on Twitter. “Congratulations, dear Lula for your election which opens a new page in the history of Brazil. Together, we will join forces to overcome the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries.” An eagerness that comes as no surprise as the Head of State’s relations with Jair Bolsonaro were so tense. Congratulations, dear @LulaOficial, for your election which opens a new page in the history of Brazil. Together, we will join forces to meet the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries.— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 30, 2022 US President Joe Biden also congratulates Lula, hailing “free elections , fair and credible” as if anticipating a possible challenge from Jair Bolsonaro of the tight result. Because all eyes are now on the supporters of the one who remains head of state until January 2023 and the investiture of Lula. Throughout the campaign, the far-right candidate has made no secret of his intention to refuse to recognize the results if they were not favorable to him, even if he slightly tempered his remarks last week. Should we expect overflows? The situation is likely to be very tense, especially after a four-year mandate which saw an explosion in the granting of permits to carry weapons and the sale of rifles and revolvers.Updated at 00:15 with the reaction of ‘Emmanuel Macron. Updated at 12:45 a.m. with Joe Biden’s reaction. Updated at 1 a.m. with Lula’s first reaction.