Brazil's Lula wins fourth term as rival seeks to void vote

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will serve as Brazil's president for a fourth term following his victory in the national election. He defeated his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a race that saw Lula stage a late comeback.

Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to accept the outcome. He filed a request to annul the results, a move that mirrors the actions of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro also refused to concede his defeat to Lula four years ago. That dispute led to an attempted coup and a subsequent conviction for Jair Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro pointed to a specific judicial ruling as the basis for his challenge. A supreme court justice extended the voting hours for the election. The candidate argued this decision should void the count.

Tom Phillips, reporting from São Paulo, assessed the political weight of the dispute. He stated that the response from the Bolsonaro camp was what he had feared. Phillips did not believe the legal move would change the final outcome. He noted that world leaders are already recognizing Lula's win. Phillips said Bolsonaro has little hope of overturning the result.

Lula's victory marks the end of a 50 year political career. He was the first elected working class leader in Brazil. Phillips noted that Lula helped millions of people escape poverty during his previous terms.

The election result arrives with significant changes in other parts of the world. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces sealed off the city of Hebron. This followed a gun attack on a military checkpoint on Friday. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the shooting.

The Hebron municipality reported that 370 families were displaced. This group included nearly 2,000 people. The neighborhood of Farsh al-Hawa, which is closest to the checkpoint, was flattened. Israeli officials stated that the displaced population left voluntarily. Yousef al-Jabari, the mayor of Hebron, disagreed with that account. He called the actions collective punishment. Al-Jabari said Israeli forces dragged people from their homes and blocked media access to the district.

In Serbia, the long-serving leader Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat. He lost to a student led movement that protested against his government for two years. Vučić had held power for 12 years. Celebrations broke out in the streets of Belgrade after the news emerged.

In the United States, Senate candidate Mary Peltola delayed her campaign stops after a car crash. She suffered minor injuries. Peltola, an Alaska native and former congresswoman, is running to become the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate in nearly two decades. Her family and a driver in a second vehicle were taken to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries.

The administration is already preparing for a potential dispute over the Alaska result. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice. The suit aims to block the certification of the Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The legal action cites possible voter confusion because two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on the ballot.