A lulu of a victory
By 
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to become the next president of Brazil, after defeating his rightwing rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, by a razor-thin margin.
The leftist former leader, widely known as “Lula,” won 50.90% of the votes, with over 99% of the votes counted in a fiercely contested run-off election on Sunday.
Bolsonaro, who mustered 49.10% votes, will be denied a second term.
Of course, events from earlier in the day should make clear that a clean transfer of power is very, very far from certain:
Brazil’s elections chief ordered the head of the country’s highway police to answer allegations that he had ordered traffic stops, particularly of buses transporting voters to the polls, in an effort to suppress turnout in Sunday’s presidential election.
There were dozens of reports on social media on Sunday that federal highway agents were stopping vehicles and questioning people in several states across Brazil. Such stops appeared to violate orders from election officials on Saturday to halt any traffic stops on Election Day that could hinder people’s efforts to vote.
Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who leads Brazil’s election agency, issued an order to the head of Brazil’s federal highway police, calling on the official to provide proof that his officers were not violating election rules to benefit President Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right incumbent.
Still, the bottom-line is still infinitely preferable to the alternative.
…never forget:
One incredible Bolsonaro achievement: Imagine being part of a political generation which includes Trump, Erdogan, MBS, Netanyahu, Putin, Xi, Modi, and Orban and having by far the most unpleasant, fascistic personality.— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) October 31, 2022