Bolsonaro's party accepts Brazil election defeat, but he refuses to concede

The Americas

Carrie Kahn

Opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro speaks after the presidential election runoff in Brasilia, Brazil, Oct. 25. Eraldo Peres/AP hide caption

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's Liberal Party, the party of defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, has acknowledged the results of Sunday's presidential election, recognizing incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory. But Bolsonaro himself has yet to formally concede defeat.

The party's president, Valdemar Costa Neto, said in a statement Monday that the party recognizes the election results but believes "questions raised about the vote" still need to be clarified.

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The concession came as President Trump questioned the election's legitimacy, telling reporters Monday, "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election." Trump offered no evidence of fraud.

Bolsonaro initially said he would seek to annul the election results, citing alleged irregularities, including a last-minute extension of voting hours.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court ordered polling stations to remain open for two additional hours, until 7 p.m., following an appeal by Lula's campaign, which cited public transportation disruptions. Bolsonaro's campaign also requested an extension, citing heavy rain in southern Brazil.

In a video posted Monday, Bolsonaro shifted his approach, saying he would seek to have Lula's election victory disqualified over alleged abuses of political and economic power. "The law must apply to everyone," he said. "The competition must be fair and equal, which did not happen." Bolsonaro did not provide any evidence for this claim.

Bolsonaro also said Brazil's Federal Police had ordered him to surrender his passports after he visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasília.

The former far-right president is under house arrest after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in the 2022 coup attempt against Lula.

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"I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," he said in the video. Bolsonaro said the order was based on remarks by his brother Eduardo, who lives in the U.S., suggesting he should leave Brazil if he lost the election. The passport order was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation.

Lula won just over 51% of the valid votes, or approximately 64.2 million, compared with more than 48%, or nearly 59.8 million, for Bolsonaro.

The result marked a major comeback for Lula, who trailed his challenger in the first round, and put the breaks on a run of right-wing electoral victories in Latin America.

Supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrate in São Paulo on Oct. 25, after Lula won reelection with over 51% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro. Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images hide caption

Lula's victory celebrations rang out across Brazil on Sunday night. Near downtown Rio de Janeiro, supporters hugged, shouted and sang the national anthem. Gains in major cities, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, helped Lula overcome his first-round defeat, along with support from younger, older and working-class voters.

In his victory speech in São Paulo, Lula singled out young people who had helped mobilize support for his campaign.

"I wanted to thank the Brazilian people for the generosity they have shown me for a long time," he said. "And in this second round, I want to thank the Brazilian youth for their generosity in taking to the streets. They took to the streets to defend democracy in the country."

17-year-old Brisa Pereira cast her first vote at a busy polling place in one of Brasília's sprawling suburbs. She said Lula's journey from poor factory worker to president had inspired her. She also wanted to send a message to Trump and what she described as his push to dominate Latin America.

"It's not the '90s anymore. We have rights, and Donald Trump can't speak for all of America," Pereira said.

Lula had to win over voters across different demographic and geographic groups to defeat Bolsonaro. He gained more than 10 million additional votes compared with the first round, helped by increased turnout and support from voters who had backed other candidates or had previously stayed away from the polls.

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"No wonder pollsters said a Lula victory was almost impossible," said Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants.

"This was a nationwide victory, a systemic victory — from top to bottom, and from left to right," Vidal said.

The decisive margin gives Lula a mandate to govern, Vidal said, but the next four years will be challenging. Bolsonaro's Liberal Party made significant gains in Congress, leaving Lula facing a conservative opposition and a deeply divided electorate.

Vidal said Lula also learned important lessons about communicating with voters, particularly through social media. The president, who had relied more heavily on traditional media, embraced a more digital campaign in the final weeks.

Brazilian lawmaker André Janones embraces President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as he delivers a victory speech after winning a fourth term in the presidential runoff on Oct. 25. Andre Penner/AP hide caption

"Part of that has to do with communication, and part of that therefore has to do with Lula, setting aside the traditional media and becoming more digital," Vidal said.

Much of that shift was credited to André Janones, a congressman from the bellwether state of Minas Gerais who helped direct Lula's online campaign. Janones used Instagram and WhatsApp to reach younger voters and mobilize supporters. His WhatsApp channel, dubbed "Lula's Army," attracted over 10 million followers.

In an election-night Instagram post, Janones captured the spirit of the celebrations with a message summing up the campaign: "Nothing is more powerful than when the people unite."

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