Brazil's Liberal Party Accepts Lula's Win, Bolsonaro Does Not

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won just over 51% of the valid votes, about 64.2 million, to Flávio Bolsonaro's 48% and nearly 59.8 million. The Liberal Party, Bolsonaro's party, said Monday it recognizes the results. Bolsonaro has not conceded.

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

Sunday, Oct. 25: Lula trailed Bolsonaro after the first round, then gained more than 10 million votes in the second round, helped by higher turnout and support from voters who had backed other candidates. Gains in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo helped him overcome the first-round deficit, along with support from younger, older and working-class voters. Also on Sunday, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered polling stations to stay open until 7 p.m., two extra hours, after Lula's campaign cited public transportation disruptions. Bolsonaro's campaign also requested an extension, citing heavy rain in southern Brazil.

Bolsonaro initially said he would seek to annul the results, citing irregularities including that extension of voting hours. Then, in a video posted Monday, Oct. 26, he said he would instead seek to have Lula's 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." He did not provide evidence for the claim. He also said he was ordered to hand over his passports and is prohibited from leaving the country, an order issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation.

President Trump told reporters Monday, "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election." Trump offered no evidence of fraud.

Lula, in a victory speech in São Paulo, thanked Brazilian youth for taking to the streets. Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, called it "a nationwide victory, a systemic victory." He also said the Liberal Party made gains in Congress, leaving Lula facing a conservative opposition.

Lula's online campaign was directed in part by André Janones, a congressman from Minas Gerais, who used Instagram and WhatsApp to reach younger voters. His WhatsApp channel, called "Lula's Army," attracted over 10 million followers. In an election-night Instagram post, Janones wrote, "Nothing is more powerful than when the people unite."