Bolsonaro's Party Accepts Defeat as Candidate Withholds Concession

Brazil's Liberal Party accepted the results of Sunday's presidential election on Monday, recognizing incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's win, though candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has not conceded. Party president Valdemar Costa Neto said in a statement that the party recognizes the results but believes "questions raised about the vote" still need to be clarified.

President Donald Trump commented on the race Monday, saying, "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election." Trump provided no evidence of fraud. Bolsonaro initially said he would seek to annul the results, citing irregularities including an extension of voting hours. The Supreme Court ordered polls open two additional hours, to 7 p.m., on Sunday after Lula's campaign cited transportation disruptions; Bolsonaro's campaign also requested the extension, pointing to heavy rain in southern Brazil.

In a video Monday, Bolsonaro changed course, saying he would 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 offered no evidence for the claim. Bolsonaro also said Brazil's Federal Police ordered him to surrender his passports after he visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasília. The order came from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation. "I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," he said.

Lula took just over 51% of valid votes, about 64.2 million, against more than 48%, or nearly 59.8 million, for Bolsonaro. Lula trailed in the first round and gained more than 10 million additional votes in the second. In his victory speech in São Paulo, Lula thanked Brazilian voters. "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."

Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, called it "a nationwide victory, a systemic victory, from top to bottom, and from left to right." He said the margin gives Lula a mandate but that the next four years will be difficult. The Liberal Party made gains in Congress, leaving Lula with a conservative opposition and a divided electorate. Vidal also said Lula shifted to digital communication in the final weeks. Congressman André Janones of Minas Gerais directed Lula's online campaign, using Instagram and WhatsApp; his WhatsApp channel, called "Lula's Army," drew more than 10 million followers.