Lula wins fourth term in Brazil as Flávio Bolsonaro refuses to concede

With all votes counted, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the winner of Sunday's presidential runoff with 51.79% of valid votes, against 48.21% for right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a margin of about 4.4 million votes. Lula, 80, had trailed Bolsonaro in the first round, and the Guardian reported that no first-round runner-up had won a runoff since Brazil's return to democracy.

Bolsonaro said it was impossible to accept the result and that he would ask for the election to be annulled, objecting to a two-hour extension of voting ordered by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin. The BBC noted that his own campaign had also asked for longer voting hours in some areas, and TSE president Kassio Nunes Marques said the security of the process was not compromised.

Why it matters: Lula begins a fourth, non-consecutive term in Latin America's largest economy, and a legal challenge from the runner-up could prolong uncertainty over the transition. Leaders in the region and beyond congratulated Lula, the Guardian and Al Jazeera reported.