Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly drops annulment bid as Trump calls Brazil's vote manipulated

Lula wins a fourth term

Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), won Brazil's presidential runoff held on Sunday, 25 October, with 64,256,232 votes, or 51.79% of the vote. His rival, Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), received 59,826,041 votes (48.21%), a gap of 4.4 million votes. The result gives Lula a fourth term. Leaders from Brussels to Beijing and Moscow, along with most right-leaning presidents in Latin America, have sent their congratulations. New York City official Zohran Mamdani, a political rival of Trump, praised what Lula had done for working people and recalled a meeting with him on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.

Lula da Silva (PT)64,256,232

Flávio Bolsonaro (PL)59,826,041

Lula da Silva (PT)

64256232 votes

Flávio Bolsonaro (PL)

59826041 votes

Data from the article text

Extended voting and the annulment dispute

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) extended voting by two hours after Lula's campaign asked for more time. Several cities had cut their public bus fleets, which, according to the reports, made it harder for voters to reach polling stations. Justice Cristiano Zanin granted the request. Electoral court (TSE) data cited by Notícias ao Minuto show 34,300 votes were cast after the extension, equal to 0.03% of the 127.8 million ballots recorded nationwide. Flávio Bolsonaro initially said he would not recognise the result, arguing that the extension favoured his opponent and calling for the election to be annulled. Brazilian press reports now say party leaders advised him to drop that challenge, and that he backed away from it a day after the vote. He still plans a lawsuit accusing Lula of abusing public power. In a video posted on social media, he said:

“I will indeed ask for the removal of Lula's ticket for all the abuses he committed.”

Trump and the State Department

Trump, who keeps close ties with the Bolsonaro family, said the Brazilian election looked manipulated and fraudulent, though he presented no evidence. He pointed to the extended voting hours as very strange. He also said he was not taking sides, that he likes Lula and gets along with him, and that he governs the United States rather than Brazil. Folha de S.Paulo reported that the State Department had a congratulations draft ready, as is customary after elections worldwide, but that an order came to postpone its release and assess the situation. The paper did not say who gave the order. A Trump adviser told Folha that the president had planned to recognise the result on election night if Bolsonaro won, but did not say whether the same would apply to a Lula victory. The US embassy in Brasília did not say when the statement would be published. Argentina's Javier Milei and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu have also stayed silent, according to PÚBLICO.

What comes next

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta on Thursday and Friday, 29 and 30 October, according to a US diplomatic note. Brazil's foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, is among those attending. The congratulations statement from Washington had not been published when the reports were filed, and no filing date has been given for Flávio Bolsonaro's lawsuit.