They waited and so it has happened: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Lula wins the elections in Brazil. Happily, there have been signs of hope and triumph in hundreds of photographs and videos broadcast by Brazil, which have celebrated the return of the left in the largest Latin American country, both internationally and locally. But despite the victory, the results of the second round of elections, like the first, have not reached the expected margin and experts have already warned: Lula costs the controller.

Half of the votes, with 50.9%, have gradually passed, and Bolsonaro with 49.1%, only two million votes. In the first round the section was larger, six million. The proximity between the two candidates has surprised some experts. In fact, the forecasts announced a sixteen point difference for the first round, and it was five; in the second round it was also expected between four and six points, but it was only 1.8.

Thus, Brazilian political photography is even more polarized than in the first round. Although Lula’s supporters have taken the result with joy, Bolsonaro’s followers have spread anger and protests begin to claim that they do not accept Lula’s victory. The best known is that of truck drivers, who have blocked roads in at least 18 states, including the road between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. They protest against Lula, they say they don’t want a “corrupt president.”

Support from the centre for the establishment of the Government

The Left Political Party of Lula has come to the presidency, but in Parliament the situation is different. In the Chamber of the Member, in the lower chamber of the National Congress, the right are close to the majority: They have 249 seats out of 513. Their presence, after the last elections, has grown. On the contrary, the Lula party has only 141 Members. This shows the need for agreements with the parties that are at the political centre. Lula will not be easy as some of these parties have reached agreements with Bolsonaro in the last half of his term of office.

The political center, known as the centrão, is a heterogeneous union of parties without a concrete political ideology. In exchange for power or money, they express their support for the ruling party to carry out its legal proposals and reforms. As has been said, Bolsonaro’s support has been in the last two and a half years, when, after the poor management of the COVID-19 crisis, support was lost. The clearest example of this support is Arthur Lira, President of the Chamber of Deputies, who rejected Bolsonaro’s proposals for overthrow.

Breathing for the Amazon

In any case, the news of Lula’s triumph has been taken with open arms in many sectors. One of them was the people of origin. Several leaders from the 305 indigenous communities in Brazil ask Lula to start working to protect the jungle. In fact, during the Bolsonaro mandate, between August 2020 and July 2021, illegal deforestation of the forest grew by 22%.

The newly elected president’s party enjoys a good reputation sheltered by the jungle for the work done in previous mandates; also in the Lula electoral programme was one of the points of support for the Amazon. But, as has already been explained, it will not be easy to achieve this, because without the support of the political centre parties it will not succeed in reaching it. It will have to be seen at what price it achieves its protection.