Lula vows dictatorship never again

Tens of thousands of supporters filled central São Paulo in the early hours of Monday to hear Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva mark his fourth term as Brazil's president. He thanked the crowd directly: 'This is God's work – and it's thanks to all of you.'

He then set the theme that would carry through the night, promising that dictatorship and fascism would never return to Brazil.

Foreign capitals congratulate - Washington stays quiet

The reaction from abroad arrived quickly and from across the political spectrum.

• •Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted: 'Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won.'
• •Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez wrote: 'The global progressive resurgence has just begun.'
• •Chile's rightwing president José Antonio Kast telephoned Lula to congratulate him.
• •Peru's president Keiko Fujimori saluted 'the Brazilian people for this democratic day'.
• •European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen declared: 'Democracy and multilateralism have won in Brazil.'
• •A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said: 'China respects the choice of the Brazilian people.'

One capital was conspicuously absent from the list: Washington. Donald Trump said nothing about the result, even though his administration had backed a Bolsonaro victory that would have extended the pro-Trump 'orange wave' into Latin America's largest democracy.

In the run-up to the vote, the US had been accused of seeking to influence the result through a campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure. Erika Hilton, the transgender lawmaker who is the most voted woman in Brazil's congress, framed the win in those terms: 'We have defeated the interference of the US government, which thought it could turn our country into its backyard.'

Bolsonaro rejects the result

Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede, following the example of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to concede the 2022 election and was convicted of plotting a coup. The son called Lula's victory 'sacanagem', a Portuguese word which roughly translates as 'bullshit'.

As the count ran against him, the atmosphere at the Brasília mansion where he was watching soured. What had begun as a lively birthday party turned into something resembling a wake, and guests started leaving early. One departing guest shouted to the journalists waiting outside that it was the 'north-east's fault' - an insult aimed at the region where Lula historically wins most of his votes.

Photographs circulating in the aftermath did him no favours. Lula supporters shared an image of Bolsonaro in tears, though it had actually been taken on the eve of the vote; another picture showed him red-faced beside São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas, who sat covering his face.

On Paulista Avenue, the mood was the opposite. One reveller wore a costume depicting Flávio Bolsonaro behind bars. João Maluf, a 27-year-old psychologist, sarcastically shouted 'Oh, how awful! Poor little thing!' as he showed the crowd a photo of a distraught Bolsonaro, and told them: 'We want rid of these fucking Bolsonaros.'

Some suspect Bolsonaro may flee to the US when his term runs out in February and he loses parliamentary immunity.

Marina Silva on what the win protects

The environment ran through the political reading of the result. On the eve of the vote, former environment minister Marina Silva warned that a Bolsonaro government would try to finish the 'perverse project' of rainforest destruction started by his father, whose 2019-2022 administration saw a deforestation surge.

After the result, her tone turned to relief. 'My heart is happy and filled with gratitude to God and the Brazilian people,' she said. She explained that her greatest fear had been renewed invasions of Indigenous territories, but said she was now certain they would be preserved and that there is no risk of illegal miners returning.

Lula's health minister Alexandre Padilha put the win in broader terms, calling it a huge victory for the Brazilian people and citing the environment, the health service, education and the constitution. It was, he added, 'a massive victory – not just for Brazil. It's also an important signal' - one he said was directed at Latin America and the world.

What comes next

The result leaves Flávio Bolsonaro facing a series of federal police investigations over suspected misdeeds, including money laundering, though he maintains he is innocent. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, remains imprisoned serving a 27-year sentence for his coup attempt.