Lula's Victory Stands as Bolsonaro's Party Accepts the Result
Lula's win by 4.4 million votes is now accepted by Bolsonaro's party.
By Layla Richardson ·
Bolsonaro's political allies have accepted the result of Brazil’s presidential run-off, even as he continues to challenge the election outcome. Valdemar Costa Neto, the leader of the right-wing Liberal Party, acknowledged the outcome but highlighted the need for clarification on the issues raised. Despite his party's acceptance, Bolsonaro remains unconvinced, calling the election results “unacceptable” and vowing legal action to annul the vote. He attributed the loss to a last-minute extension of voting hours, which he felt disadvantaged his supporters. His son, Flavio Bolsonaro, has also joined the opposition, vowing to “organise the opposition” to withstand the chaos following his defeat.
The right-wing candidate defeated by left-wing incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva secured victory by a margin of more than 4.4 million votes. Yet, Bolsonaro has not formally conceded, maintaining that the election was “unacceptable” due to the last-minute extension of voting hours. His party's acceptance of the result comes as Trump has expressed doubt about the integrity of the vote, calling it “rigged.”
The extension of voting hours, granted by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, allowed polls to remain open for two additional hours. The extension added around 35,000 votes nationwide, but this was a small fraction of Lula’s 4.4 million vote advantage. Experts remain sceptical of Bolsonaro's claims of malfeasance, noting that the extension had little impact on the final result.
Flavio Bolsonaro has also received support from US President Donald Trump, who has long clashed with Lula in the past. Trump expressed doubt about the election outcome, saying it “looked very bad” and “looked like another rigged election, frankly.” However, he stopped short of intervening on behalf of Bolsonaro, stating he “did not take sides” in the election.
Bolsonaro’s refusal to accept his loss has raised concerns about whether he will follow the example of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2023. After his defeat to Lula in the 2022 election, the ex-president refused to acknowledge the outcome and sought to overturn the results, including through a legal challenge. Prosecutors accused him of plotting a coup to prevent the legal transfer of power. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence on coup-related charges and has been barred from serving in public office for eight years, after a court found he had misused his public office to spread misinformation about the election.
