Brazil presidential election: Why Flávio Bolsonaro refuses to concede, seeks annulment of Lula’s victory

Rio de Janeiro: Brazil's presidential election has turned into a legal dispute after defeated far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and vowed to seek annulment of the results. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who secured another term in a razor-sharp run-off, said “Brazil is no one’s backyard” and credited voters with protecting democracy.

Flávio has alleged irregularities in the voting process, including a decision to extend polling hours by two hours, though he has not presented evidence to support his claims.

“We will use our legal team; we will request the annulment of these elections,” he said, according to Brazilian online newspaper Brasil de Fato.

He also accused the Supreme Federal Court of changing the rules during the election. “I will not accept that the rules of the game have been changed on top of the game, once again, by Lula’s friends in the Supreme Federal Court,” he said.

He questioned a decision by Supreme Federal Court Minister Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours until 7 pm local time. The extension followed fears that reduced public transport services in municipalities supportive of Flávio could prevent some voters from reaching polling stations.

Both campaigns had sought additional voting time. Lula's campaign requested an extension after reports of restricted access to public transport in some cities, while Flávio's campaign sought extra time in areas affected by bad weather.

Flávio also alleged that inspectors from his Liberal Party had been removed from a secure room during the election process.

“Our PL inspectors were removed from inside the secure room as soon as the selection was made,” he claimed.

Calling for further clarification, he said Brazil should not accept “wrongdoing” during the polls.

“So there is a lot to be clarified before Brazil simply acknowledges this dirty trick that happened in these elections. I am not going to give up on my Brazil. I hope that you, who have been watching me, won't give up either,” he said.

Brasil de Fato reported that Flávio had not provided evidence to substantiate his allegations.

Lula says vote protected democracy

In his victory speech, Lula said his campaign had defeated foreign intervention through digital platforms and pledged to give people a greater role in government decisions.

"We managed to convince people that voting was extremely important to safeguard democracy in Brazil. We defeated foreign intervention through digital platforms. Brazil is no one's backyard. We will change the way we run this country; we will make people participate more in the decision-making process," he said.

In another post on X, Lula shared a post by PT Brasil featuring the words, “Either leave the homeland free or die for Brazil!"

With 99.77% of the ballots counted, Lula had 51.76% of the valid votes, while Flávio had 48.24%, according to Datafolha projections.

Lula, 80, first served as president from 2003 to 2010. A former factory worker and union leader, he helped establish the Workers' Party (PT) and won the presidency in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006 and later succeeded by Dilma Rousseff, who won the 2010 and 2014 elections.

The main election issues were the cost of living, crime and corruption. Flávio promoted a tough approach to crime and pledged to reduce food prices, while Lula faced questions over household expenses and public security.

PM Modi, world leaders congratulate Lula

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Brazilian president on his victory and expressed interest in strengthening ties between India and Brazil.

"Heartiest congratulations to my dear friend, President Lula, on his remarkable re-election victory," Modi said in a post on X.

"I look forward to working closely with him to further deepen and expand the multifaceted India-Brazil Strategic Partnership," he added.

He said the two countries would continue cooperation across sectors and advance the shared priorities of the Global South.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Lula's victory had implications for international relations, particularly BRICS and Brazil's ties with the United States. He argued that leadership of the left wing leader would strengthen Brazil's commitment to a multipolar world and reinforce BRICS as a voice for the Global South.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also congratulated the newly-elected president, saying, "Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won. Congratulations, President Lula!"

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also congratulated the Brazilian leader and pledged to continue cooperation on regional integration, trade and development. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he wanted to build on Canada-Brazil ties through new trade opportunities, environmental cooperation and shared prosperity.