Democracy Prevails over Fascism in Brazil, as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is elected President.

Leftist leader former metal worker Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva  has claimed victory in Sunday's presidential election against far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro who has yet to accept defeat. It is the culmination of a most remarkable political comeback for a man who was languishing behind bars just three years ago in a prison cell, Lula as he is popularly known tweeted one word following his win: "Democracy.".This is a  huge blow and rebuke against fascistic politics and a huge victory for decency and sanity. 

Jubilant crowds thronged the streets of cities including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Sunday evening. Drivers honked horns and people cheered and chanted slogans including the popular campaign jingle "Lula lá"—"Lula's there"—and "Tá na hora de Jair ir embora"—"Time for Jair to leave."

Da Silva, the 77-year-old co-founder of the left-wing Workers' Party (PT), became the first challenger to defeat an incumbent president since the restoration of democracy in 1985. His campaign overcame a rampant social media driven disinformation campaign, political violence including the assassination on Friday of a PT congressional candidate, and what observers called massive Election Day voter suppression by federal police to win a third term for the man Brazilians endearingly call Lula.

The Lula victory has been confirmed with the Supreme Electoral Court. With 98.86 % of the votes counted Lula has 50.83 % and Bolsonaro has 49.17%..With more than 3 million votes than Bolsonaro. Brazil has ousted Bolsonaro after just one term and elected Lula to replace him, in a stinging rebuke to the far-right movement. Lula an icon of the Latin American left,will assume his third term in office on January 1st promising to stop deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, after four years of surging destruction under Bolsonaro.program  strengthening environmental institutions weakened by Bolsonaro’s presidency, providing “green” farm loans and meeting Brazil’s Paris Agreement goals.

Lula’s record with regards to nature and the environment is impressive. During his presidency, the deforestation rate in the Amazon was cut down by almost two thirds; from 21,650 km2 in 2002 to 7,000 in 2010.

However, fixing Bolsonaro’s destructive policies towards the Amazon rainforest won’t be an easy task for Lula. France’s Le Monde described Bolsonaro’s environmental legacy “to be nothing short of catastrophic”. The newspaper added “he has turned a country that was once a leader in the fight against climate change into an international pariah”. Right now, it is estimated that 15 to 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has already been cut down. Brazil has increased its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% due to the fires in the country. Lula's Amazon-friendly policies are of real  need not just for the rainforest, but for the world as well.

The Amazon rainforest is the largest in the world, covering an area of 6,000,000 km2, 60% of which is in Brazil. It represents over half of the planet's rainforests and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tropical tract in the world. It’s home to one-tenth of all living plant and animal species. Therefore, the Amazon rainforest is the world's biggest terrestrial carbon dioxide sink and plays a significant role in mitigating global warming. Forests are vital in the fight against the climate crisis. Losing these vital ecosystems means more carbon in the atmosphere and fewer resources to capture what is being emitted.

In his victory speech, Lula touched on gender and racial equality and the urgent need to deal with a hunger crisis affecting 33.1 million Brazilians

"Brazil is my cause, the people are my cause and fighting poverty is the reason why I will live until the end of my life," da Silva said. 

"As far as it depends on us, there will be no lack of love," he vowed. "We will take great care of Brazil and the Brazilian people. We will live in a new time. Of peace, of love, and of hope. A time when the Brazilian people will once again have the right to dream. And the opportunities to realize what you dream."

The defeat of Bolsonaro in Brazil is incredibly good news for the environment and the social rights of the working class in Brazil and its Black and Indigenous communities .Bolsonaro  is a true fascist's fascist, who openly longed for the days of the military dictatorship, of which his father took an active part. Bolsonaro's tenure was marked by accelerated environmental destruction, especially of the Amazon rainforest, gross mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which killed more people in Brazil than in any other country save the United States;disdain and disregard for the rights of Indigenous peoples; rampant bigotry and incessant flirtation with authoritarianism.targeting LGBTQ people,

the press and his critics. .

This is a monumental victory in the global fight against fascism in Brazil. Progress and democracy has defeated hate and authoritarianism in on of the biggest democracies in the world. There is quite simply nothing better than a fascist getting their arse handed to them by the people.  Congratulations to the people in Brazil who have driven one of the worst men alive out of office. Delighted at the thought of so many terrible people being gutted. 

Da Silva is beloved by millions of Brazilians for his lifelong advocacy for the poor, workers, minorities, and rural and Indigenous people. As president, he lifted millions of Brazilians from poverty through sweeping social programs including Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) and Bolsa Familia (Family Allowance), while presiding over Brazil's rise into the top tier of world economies.

However, da Silva's focus on social uplift at the expense of the oligarchy earned him powerful enemies at home, and his solidarity with leftist Latin American leaders and opposition to U.S. imperialism made him a target of many in Washington and on Wall Street.

In 2017, da Silva was controversially convicted of corruption and money laundering in connection with the sweeping "Car Wash" scandal and spent 580 days behind bars before being freed when the Brazilian supreme court found his incarceration unlawful. Last year, the high court annulled several criminal convictions against da Silva,restoring his political rights and setting the stage for his 2022 run. 

Lulas; win is also a win for the Amazon and the planet itself—and thus very good news for the multiracial working class of the whole world.

Let's hope the victory strengthens democracy and Latin American integration and  lead the Brazilian people along the path of peace, progress and social justice.