Bolsonaro refuses to recognise Lula’s victory and says he will seek to annul the election

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the incumbent Brazilian president, stated on Sunday that he does not accept President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory in the country's presidential runoff. He intends to challenge the results, claiming irregularities in the extension of voting hours ordered by a Supreme Federal Court judge. Lula secured the election with 51.78% of valid votes while Bolsonaro received 48.22%, a difference of about 4.4 million votes.

Bolsonaro emphasized that it was impossible to acknowledge the election result under the circumstances and vowed to request its annulment. He described the decision as a disgrace, citing a breach of equality and alleging that his party's observers were removed from the vote-counting room without evidence. The extension of voting hours took place at the request of Lula's coalition due to a lack of transportation to reach polling stations in some cities like São Paulo and Salvador.

There is no formal challenge yet, but Bolsonaro's campaign had previously requested extensions in municipalities affected by rain. The Supreme Court President Edson Fachin called for respect for the election result and the need for peace in the country. In 2022, Bolsonaro's father also failed to publicly recognize his defeat by Lula before the transition process began.

On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the three branches of government in Brasília, leading to his own 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup. Lula will assume office on January 1.