South Americaupdated 2h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 14 September 2009Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Congratulates Lula After Runoff Defeat Of Flávio Bolsonaro
3 Other1 Asian1 Latin American2 Other source typesPhoto: Guillermo Ramos Flamerich, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cropped for layout
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Delcy Rodríguez congratulated Lula on his Brazil runoff victory. Lula won the runoff with about 51.7% of the vote.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on U.S. State Department Officials Back Bolsonaro Clan in Brazil Election, Push Sanctions →
Lula wins fourth term
Venezuelan and Latin American leaders praised Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s electoral triumph in Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday, after Lula defeated far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro in the electoral runoff. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez congratulated Lula and the Brazilian people, calling the result “a lesson against extremism.” The Venezuelan government, in an official statement, congratulated the people of Brazil for their “massive and civic participation in the electoral process, which led to the victory of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.”
Lula told a euphoric crowd in São Paulo, “We are going to change the way we govern; we are going to ensure greater participation for the people,” after the official results were declared. Lula ran for a fourth presidential term on the Workers’ Party (PT) ticket, securing 51.79 percent of the vote (64.25 million votes) against Bolsonaro’s 48.21 percent (59.82 million).
Bolsonaro rejects runoff
Flávio Bolsonaro rejected the runoff results, saying “It is impossible to recognize the elections under those conditions,” and adding, “I will request the annulment of those elections.” Bolsonaro argued that a judge’s decision to extend voting hours by two hours at the request of the progressive leader made the outcome unacceptable, and he said the Supreme Court member Cristiano Zanin intervened by extending the voting hours. Kassio Nunes, who heads the Electoral Court, stated at a press conference that the extension of voting hours “had no impact on the results,” and he said, “I repeat: there was no change stemming from the judicial ruling.”
Bolsonaro said the extension generated “a total violation of Brazilians’ right to equality in different cities,” after ballots closed at 5:00 PM local time (20:00 GMT) as planned. The opposition candidate said the Supreme Court magistrate “hammered” the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which would be responsible for analyzing the campaign’s appeal, but did not rule.
Regional stakes and scrutiny
Delcy Rodríguez told a press conference that “Brazil gave a lesson that extremisms and fanatism of any kind are not imposed,” and she said the society sent “a message to the world and especially to the peoples of Latin America, the Caribbean and this region.”
“Brazil gave a lesson that extremisms and fanatism of any kind are not imposed.”
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on the social networks of Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González that “The people of Brazil have shown a decisive display of civic and democratic participation,” and it reiterated Venezuela’s willingness to continue “historic ties of neighborliness and cooperation with Brazil.”
teleSUR English said Rodríguez made the remarks in Caracas during the launch of the Comprehensive Women’s Medical Specialty Service at Dr. Carlos Arvelo Military Hospital, and it quoted her saying, “I once again congratulate President Lula da Silva and the people of Brazil because Brazil has shown that neither extremism nor fanaticism of any kind can prevail.”
The teleSUR English account said official figures confirmed Lula’s victory with 51.79% of the vote and 64,256,232 votes, while it said Bolsonaro received 48.21% and 59,826,041 votes.
The Venezuelan government’s position tied Lula’s win to continuing cooperation with Brazil based on “the principles of peace, strict respect for sovereignty, self-determination of the peoples, and solidarity.”