Fireworks lit up the night sky in Brazilian cities as supporters of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poured into the streets to celebrate his dramatic re-election victory on Sunday.

In Rio de Janeiro, vuvuzelas echoed along the beachfront and central avenues as crowds draped in Brazil’s green-and-yellow flag and Lula’s trademark red danced, sang campaign songs and chanted pro-democracy slogans.

In Sao Paulo, thousands of people dressed in red, the colour of Lula’s Workers’ Party, packed central squares and major roads, waving banners and setting off flares in scenes reminiscent of football title celebrations.

According to official results, Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, secured an unprecedented fourth term with 51.8 percent of the vote against 48.2 percent for his far-right rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Lula hailed the high turnout, saying Brazilians had “voted to defend democracy”.

The jubilation unfolded despite Bolsonaro’s refusal to accept the result, promising to seek to annul the vote after a Supreme Court decision extended polling by two hours.

But in city after city, Lula’s supporters treated the win as a resounding repudiation of authoritarianism and a renewed mandate for Brazil’s left.