SAO PAULO ― President Joe Biden congratulated former leftist Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his victory in the country’s presidential election Sunday night that also lauded the elections as “free, fair, and credible elections.”
The congratulatory statement from the White House came less than an hour after Brazil’s electoral authorities declared da Silva, who formerly led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, as the winner of the race against right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro has spent the last two years spreading conspiracy theories in an attempt to undermine the elections. Da Silva and his campaign, along with many officials within Brazil, saw swift international recognition of the results as key to blunting any potential attempt from Bolsonaro to contest the results.
“I send my congratulations to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his election to be the next president of Brazil following free, fair, and credible elections,” Biden said in a…
