Brazil's Liberal Party Recognizes Lula's Win; Bolsonaro Withholds Concession

Brazil's Liberal Party accepted the results of Sunday's presidential election on Monday, but its candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, has not conceded. Party president Valdemar Costa Neto issued a statement saying the party recognizes the outcome while maintaining that "questions raised about the vote" still need clarification. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won just over 51% of valid votes, about 64.2 million, against nearly 59.8 million, or more than 48%, for Bolsonaro.

Voting ran past its scheduled close on Sunday. The Supreme Court ordered polling stations open two more hours, to 7 p.m., after Lula's campaign appealed, citing public transportation disruptions. Bolsonaro's campaign also asked for more time, pointing to heavy rain in southern Brazil. Bolsonaro first said he would seek to annul the results, citing irregularities including the voting-hours extension.

In a video posted Monday, Bolsonaro changed course. He said he would instead pursue disqualification of Lula's win over alleged abuses of political and economic power. "The law must apply to everyone," he said. "The competition must be fair and equal, which did not happen." He offered no evidence for the claim.

Bolsonaro also said Brazil's Federal Police ordered him to surrender his passports after he visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasília. The elder Bolsonaro is under house arrest after a 27-year sentence for his role in the 2022 coup attempt against Lula. The passport order came from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation. "I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," he said in the video.

President Trump told reporters Monday he had not taken sides but that "it looked like another rigged election." He provided no evidence of fraud.

Lula trailed in the first round and gained more than 10 million votes in the second. Gains in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, along with support from younger, older and working-class voters, closed the gap. "No wonder pollsters said a Lula victory was almost impossible," said Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants. "This was a nationwide victory, a systemic victory: from top to bottom, and from left to right."

In São Paulo, Lula thanked voters. "I wanted to thank the Brazilian people for the generosity they have shown me for a long time," he said. "And in this second round, I want to thank the Brazilian youth for their generosity in taking to the streets."

The Liberal Party made gains in Congress. André Janones, a congressman from Minas Gerais, ran Lula's online campaign using Instagram and WhatsApp; his WhatsApp channel, called "Lula's Army," drew more than 10 million followers.