At nearly 81, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvadefied expectations by defeating far-right challenger Flavio Bolsonaro with 51.7 percent of the vote against 48.2 percent. Read moreBrazil's Lula beats odds and seals re-election, rival Bolsonaro demands annulment After trailing in the first round, Lula's campaign stepped up its efforts to reach young and undecided voters. The result does not, however, signal the end of Bolsonarism, the political movement built around former president Jair Bolsonaro and his ideas.
Lula is set to govern without a majority in Congress. The Liberal Party, led by the Bolsonaro camp, won 121 of the 513 seats in the lower house and 28 of the 81 seats in the Senate in legislative elections held earlier this month. Ronchi said the president would have to work with centrist parties despite their limited alignment with his agenda.
The president will depend on the Centrao, a bloc of centre-right parties that typically backs governments in exchange for political concessions and access to public resources. Economic concerns will be one of the main priorities. Rising fuel prices and inflation have squeezed household budgets, while the government faces pressure to balance public spending with its commitment to welfare programmes.
He noted economic indicators during Lula's first term had been relatively positive, with Brazil close to full employment. Lula must also contend with questions over institutional stability. Flavio Bolsonaro has called for the election's second round to be annulled, citing delays in decisions over requests to extend voting hours.
He compared it with Jair Bolsonaro's refusal to accept his defeat after the last elections. On January 8, 2023, just a week before Lula took office, a mob of Bolsonaro's supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in Brasilia, seeking to overthrow the government. Public security is also expected to remain a contentious issue.
Accused by his opponents of being too soft on crime, Lula will face pressure to tackle criminal groups and militias that control territory in several cities. During the campaign, he said he would support lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 for heinous crimes, while the political right wants to reduce it to 14. Lula's victory also carries implications beyond Brazil.
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