Jair Bolsonaro loses knife-edge Brazil election as ex-president Lula da Silva storms back into power with narrow victory

BRAZILIAN President Jair Bolsonaro has lost his re-election fight against former-premier Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva. The new leader was previously Brazil’s President from 2003 to 2010. GettyBrazil’s former-premier Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva has regained the presidency[/caption] EPAIncumbent-President Jair Bolsonaro lost by less than 2% of the vote[/caption] AFPSupporters of both candidates have taken to the streets following the razor-thin election[/caption] GettyIt has been perceived as one of the most polarised elections in modern Brazilian history[/caption] Tonight’s run-off vote between the two political heavyweights came after neither received 50% of the vote in an election earlier this month. Nearly 120 million people took to the polls to cast a ballot in one of the most polarised elections in the nation’s recent history. Lula’s winning margin was the closest since 1989, as he edged the contest by less than 2% of the vote, official figures show. The razor-thin election saw the incumbent-President Bolsonaro win the southern regions of Sao Paulo and Rio de Jeneiro. Read More on The Sun GUN TERROR Two dead after 'gun battle between rivals on scooter & in car' on London street DOVER HORROR 'Laughing' man threw petrol bomb at Dover centre before ‘killing himself’ He led the voting for much of the night, before his far-left rival took the lead with significant wins in the north-east of the country. The polarised election was decided upon the key issues of inflation, poverty, and the environment. Each candidate was seen as presenting vastly differing views on the future of the country. Lula’s political comeback comes after he had previously left office as one of the country’s most popular leaders ever. Most read in News RATZILLA I found a rat as big as a dog in my back garden after rodents infested my house BRIDGE DISASTER At least 81 killed as bridge collapses at tourist hotspot SPLIT LANES My family-of-8 has to live in two separate houses - the council split us up phone horror Girlfriend forced to watch on Facetime as her boyfriend, 25, plunged to death DOVER HORROR 'Laughing' man threw petrol bomb at Dover centre before ‘killing himself’ JUNGLE OG Where first I’m a Celeb cast are now… including broke star who slept in pal's car But despite an approval rating that reached 90%, he was later imprisoned in Brazil’s biggest ever corruption scandal. He was among hundreds of high ranking politicians to be snared in the probe, and was convicted for corruption and money laundering in 2017. A court later threw out his conviction in March 2021, clearing the way for his astonishing comeback to the presidency. AFPNearly 120 million people cast a ballot in the run-off vote[/caption] ReutersIt has been perceived as one of the most divided elections in recent Brazilian political history[/caption] APLula narrowly beat incumbent-President Bolsonaro[/caption]