Brazil's President Lula overturned a roughly 2.2-million-vote first-round deficit in three weeks to defeat far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and secure a fourth non-consecutive term.
Three weeks ago, 80-year-old Lula's political obituaries had already been written, and he trailed by around 2.2 million votes after the first round. He came back to win, becoming the first Brazilian president elected to four terms.
What surprised me most is this: since the two-round system was adopted in 1988, no first-round leader had ever lost the runoff. Lula broke that rule.
The colder part comes later. Bolsonaro refused to concede and said he would seek an annulment, and the White House has close ties to his family. Winning the election only pushed the problem down the road.
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