Flávio Bolsonaro drops annulment plan as party recognises Lula’s victory
Bolsonaro has abandoned his plan to seek annulment of Brazil’s presidential election, Bloomberg reported, but says he will pursue a different challenge to Lula’s ticket.
Flávio Bolsonaro dropped his plan to seek annulment of Brazil’s October 25 presidential election, Bloomberg reported, as his Liberal Party recognised President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory on October 26. Bolsonaro said he would instead seek to disqualify Lula’s ticket, leaving a separate challenge to the result in prospect.
Bloomberg reported that a member of Bolsonaro’s campaign initially confirmed his decision to abandon the annulment plan. The party’s statement, signed by its president Valdemar Costa Neto, accepted the election result while criticising an increase in public spending before the vote and its potential effect on the race. AFP separately reported the party’s recognition of the official result despite Bolsonaro’s objections.
Why Bolsonaro challenged the extended vote
Bolsonaro had said he would seek annulment after the Supreme Court extended voting nationwide by two hours. Both his campaign and Lula’s had requested extra voting time, Bloomberg reported. AFP said Bolsonaro called the extension an ‘unacceptable’ ‘dirty trick’, while electoral court chief Kassio Nunes Marques said it did not change the result.
According to electoral authorities cited by Bloomberg, just over 34,000 votes were cast after regular voting hours, compared with Lula’s victory margin of roughly 4.4 million votes. Bolsonaro’s retreat from annulment follows his earlier stated intention to contest the result, covered in NewsJaws’ report on Lula’s election victory.
The separate challenge Bolsonaro says he will pursue
In a social media video posted on October 26, Bolsonaro said he would seek to have Lula’s ticket disqualified. He alleged false information and misuse of public funds for measures announced in the final weeks of the campaign, calling them ‘vote buying’, Bloomberg reported. Lula’s campaign did not immediately respond to that outlet’s request for comment on the allegations.
Bolsonaro also said he would organise opposition to Lula’s government, pointing to the Liberal Party’s strength in both houses of Congress. AFP likewise reported that he had claimed a leadership role in the opposition. The party’s acceptance of the result and Bolsonaro’s proposed challenge are therefore distinct steps: the party has conceded the official vote, while its candidate says he will pursue a case against the winning ticket.
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Sources and context
- Bolsonaro backs off election challenge as his party concedesThe Straits Times, reporting by Bloomberg
- Bolsonaro’s party says it recognises Lula’s election win in BrazilThe Hindu, reporting by AFP
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.