Lula secures surprise win to retain Brazil presidency

Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva staged a surprise comeback to secure a fourth term in office, extending a presidency that has overseen deepening ties with China and sporadic clashes with the United States. With almost all of the ballots in Sunday’s presidential run-off counted, Lula led with 51.8 per cent of the votes to 48.2 per cent for Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The 80-year-old left-winger is the first person to win the presidency after losing the first round of voting since Brazil.