Lula wins Brazil presidency again as Flávio Bolsonaro sues

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won the Brazilian presidential election, securing a fourth term in office. He defeated his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro has refused to acknowledge the loss and has asked for the results to be annulled.

The runner-up cited a decision by a supreme court justice to extend voting hours as the reason for seeking cancellation. This mirrors the actions of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who also refused to admit defeat to Lula four years ago. Jair Bolsonaro later attempted a coup and was convicted for the effort.

Tom Phillips, reporting from São Paulo, noted that world leaders are already recognizing Lula’s win. He said he does not think Bolsonaro has a hope of overturning the result. Phillips described the victory as the culmination of Lula’s 50-year political career. Lula was the first elected working-class leader of Brazil and has helped millions of people escape poverty.

The election outcome will shape the country's direction while other international events unfold. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces sealed off Hebron following a gun attack on a military checkpoint where two soldiers were killed. The neighborhood of Farsh al-Hawa, near the attack site, has been flattened.

The Hebron municipality reported that 370 families, nearly 2,000 people, had been displaced. The Israeli army stated that the displaced population left voluntarily. Yousef al-Jabari, the mayor of Hebron, accused the Israeli state of collective punishment. He said the authorities dragged people from their houses and prevented media access to the district.

In the United States, Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola delayed campaign stops after a car crash. Peltola suffered minor injuries, and the occupant of a second vehicle was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Peltola is an Alaska native and former congresswoman seeking to become the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent the state in the Senate.

The administration is disputing the potential Alaska result through a pre-emptive lawsuit. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the move to block certification of the US Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The Department of Justice alleges voter confusion because two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on the Alaska ballot. Donald Trump campaigned in Michigan for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is neck and neck with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

In Serbia, leader Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat after a historic election. A student-led movement that protested for two years defeated him, ending his 12 years in power. Celebrations erupted on the streets of Belgrade as the news broke. Vučić was pitted against this movement in the recent vote.