Leftist veteran Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the runoff election for the Brazilian presidency on Sunday after attaining 50.9% of the vote, according to the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), DW reported.

Bolsonaro is now the first Brazilian president to not win reelection since the country's return to democracy in 1985, and he has not yet conceded the race.

It's unclear whether Bolsonaro will accept the results, as he has previously suggested he would claim fraud if lost the election.

US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders offered their congratulations to Lula after his victory was announced. 

Lula enjoyed considerable popularity as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, leaving office with an approval rating of 83%. This was largely due to the social programs he introduced to help impoverished families, financed by the country's commodity-driven economic boom.

His win in the 2022 election represents a major comeback after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2017 on a range of corruption and money laundering charges. His imprisonment prevented him from taking part in the 2018 elections against Bolsonaro.

Lula was freed from house arrest in 2019 after the Supreme Court ruled that he had not received due process.

Brazilians initially cast their votes on October 2 to choose their president, a third of the Federal Senate and all members of the 513-strong Chamber of Deputies, along with 27 governors and state legislatures.

Lula won the first round with a slight lead but it was Bolsonaro's performance that came as a surprise, outperforming projections, winning 43% of the vote, five points behind his rival.