Lula triumphs over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro but… margin is closest since 1989

Brazil Election 2022: Lula had 50.8% of votes compared with 49.2% for Bolsonaro.

Brazil's supreme electoral court on Monday said that the country's presidential election was "mathematically defined" with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking more votes than incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil Election 2022: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seen.(AP)

As 98.8% of voting machines were counted, Lula had 50.8% of votes compared with 49.2% for Bolsonaro, according to data published on the electoral body's website.

Lula’s winning margin is the closest since 1989, when Brazilians had voted for a president for the first time since the end of the military dictatorship. The previous closest margin was in 2014 when Dilma Rousseff won a second consecutive term by beating Aecio Neves by 51.6 % to 48.4 %.

With the win, Lula has made a dramatic comeback as just three years ago he was jailed over corruption charges. Lulu's win signals a change in direction for Brazil’s largest economy after a heated campaign that showed extreme polarization.

The result sets up a third term for Lula who campaigned on pledges to reduce inequality and protect the environment while preserving the country’s fiscal health.