Kathmandu. Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been elected to a fourth term with 51.8 percent of the vote.

His opponent, Flavio Bolsonaro, won 48.2 percent of the vote. However, he said he would not accept defeat and demand that the results of the election be annulled.

Lula’s victory has challenged the conservative political wave seen in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru in support of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flavio is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Jair is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to stage a coup after losing to Lula in the 2022 election.

The Supreme Court’s decision to extend the voting time by two hours on Sunday had sparked controversy. The extension came after Lula complained that bus services were disrupted because citizens were prevented from voting. Flavio also called for an extension of time in some areas due to heavy rains. However, he called the court’s decision “unacceptable” and would demand the cancellation of the election.

Lula has changed history since 1989 when a losing candidate has not won the second round. The proportion of voters who did not vote in the first round dropped from 21 percent to 19 percent. After the victory, supporters in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo celebrated with fireworks.

There was also controversy over the role of social media in the election campaign. Lula’s campaign accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, of improperly supporting its competitors. Meta denied the allegations, but acknowledged that some of Lula’s election ads were deactivated due to technical errors. Lula said social media companies should be regulated.

Lula, who became president for the first time in 2003, was re-elected in 2006. The charges were dismissed on procedural grounds after spending more than 18 months in jail on corruption charges. He was re-elected president in 2022. Despite the decline in inflation and unemployment in his third term, and millions of people coming out of hunger, the rising cost of living and crime have left voters dissatisfied.

Flavio, 35, presented himself as a centrist leader rather than his father, garnering the support of conservatives and change-seeking voters. Lula, who will be 85 at the end of his new term, will also have to work with the right-wing opposition Congress.

Lula had made national sovereignty an election issue amid US trade and diplomatic pressure. He said he would not accept Brazil as anyone’s backyard. After his victory, Chilean President José Antonio Cast, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Mexican President Claudia Senbaum congratulated him.