PRESIDENT Joe Biden of the United States and his counterparts, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain have congratulated Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for his victory on Sunday.
Leftist Lula defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in an election runoff that marked a stunning comeback for Lula and the end of Brazil’s most right-wing government in decades. Lula won 50.9% of votes compared with 49.1% for Bolsonaro, the Supreme Electoral Court said, declaring Lula, previously a two-term president, the winner.
Biden described the election as “free, fair and credible elections,” and said he looks forward to continued cooperation between the countries.
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also congratulated Brazilians in a tweet “for exercising their right to vote and reaffirming the strength of their democracy.” The United States, he said, “looks forward to continuing our strong partnership with President-Elect Lula as we build a democratic, prosperous, and equitable hemisphere.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Monday in a congratulatory statement on the Kremlin website said he hoped for strengthened Brazil-Russia ties, and that the election result showed Lula’s “high political authority”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also on Monday in his goodwill message aired by state broadcaster CCTV, said he “attach[es] great importance to the development of China-Brazil relations” under Lula’s third term in office.
He said: “I am willing to work with President-elect Lula, from a strategic and long-term perspective, to jointly plan and promote to a new level the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Brazil, for the benefit of the two countries and its peoples.”
Relations between China and Brazil, worsened under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has not conceded the election yet.
Leftist Lula, previously a two-term president, led Brazil into the first BRICS grouping in 2009, initially made up of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, before South Africa joined in 2010.
Lula last year praised China and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in an interview with a Chinese media outlet, contrasting the strength of the ruling Communist Party to what he called the “weakening of the state” in Latin American and developing world countries.
Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in his congratulatory message on Monday, said he looked forward to coordinating with Lula on issues including protecting the planet’s natural resources.
“I look forward to working together on the issues that matter to the UK and Brazil, from growing the global economy to protecting the planet’s natural resources and promoting democratic values,” Sunak said on Twitter.
