Brasília, 26 October. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, defeated in Brazil's presidential run-off, said he does not accept Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory and will seek to annul the result over a two-hour extension of voting: "It is impossible to recognise the election results, given the circumstances under which things unfolded," he told journalists.
Bolsonaro's complaint centres on a decision by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, who at the Lula campaign's request extended voting nationwide by two hours, to 19:00, citing problems transporting voters to polling stations in several states. Bolsonaro said the nationwide extension broke equal treatment between states. His own campaign, however, also requested extensions, but only in municipalities in five states, citing heavy rain, flooding and power cuts. Zanin was formerly Lula's criminal defence lawyer and was appointed to the court on his nomination.
Lula beat Bolsonaro by about 4.4 million votes. Paulo Sotero of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center told CNN the extension "was not an irregularity". Markets reacted to Lula's win with a fall: a Tokyo-listed fund tracking Brazil's Bovespa index dived nearly 15% in Asian trading, and analysts expect the real to weaken. Lula will have to work with a Congress dominated by Bolsonaro's allies.
What it means: As in 2022, Brazil again has a defeated candidate who will not accept the result. The legal case is weakened by the fact that both sides asked for extensions.
Who benefits: Bolsonaro gains a way to mobilise supporters and put pressure on the new president. The uncertainty hits Brazilian markets and the real.
Background: In 2022, after losing to Lula, Jair Bolsonaro also did not accept the result, and his party tried to annul votes from some electronic voting machines; the Superior Electoral Court rejected the complaint. Jair Bolsonaro was later convicted of plotting a coup and is in prison.
We have also reported that Lula won a fourth term after losing the first round.
