Rio de Janeiro: Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazil's defeated far-right presidential candidate, has refused to concede defeat in Sunday's election and vowed to seek its annulment, alleging irregularities without presenting evidence to support his claims, Brazilian media reported.
According to Brazilian online newspaper Brasil de Fato, Flávio said, "We will use our legal team; we will request the annulment of these elections."
"I will not accept that the rules of the game have been changed on top of the game, once again, by Lula’s friends in the Supreme Federal Court," he added.
According to Brasil de Fato, Flávio called the election result "inexplicable" and questioned a decision by Supreme Federal Court Minister Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours by two hours, until 7 pm.
"Things happen out of nowhere, at the request of a former partner, Zanin himself, and he complies with an outdated request, bypassing electoral justice," Flávio said.
The report said the decision to extend voting hours was based on allegations that municipalities allied with Flávio had reduced public transportation fleets, potentially preventing voters from reaching polling stations.
Flávio also alleged that inspectors from his party, the Liberal Party (PL), had been removed from a secure room during the election process.
“Our PL inspectors were removed from inside the secure room as soon as the selection was made,” he claimed.
Calling for further clarification of the election process, Flávio said Brazil should not accept what he alleged was wrongdoing during the polls.
“So there's a lot to be clarified before Brazil simply acknowledges this dirty trick that happened in these elections. I'm not going to give up on my Brazil. I hope that you, who have been watching me, won't give up either,” he concluded.
Brasil de Fato reported that Flávio had not presented evidence to substantiate his allegations as he vowed to challenge the election results.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday said “Brazil is no one's backyard” after winning re-election on Sunday, asserting that his campaign had defeated foreign intervention through digital platforms and pledging to increase public participation in decision-making.
In a post on X, Lula shared his remarks following his re-election as President of Brazil, in which he highlighted the importance of voting in safeguarding democracy.
"We managed to convince people that voting was extremely important to safeguard democracy in Brazil. We defeated foreign intervention through digital platforms. Brazil is no one's backyard. We will change the way we run this country; we will make people participate more in the decision-making process," Lula said.
Lula, an 80-year-old former factory worker and leader of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), won re-election after defeating Flavio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential run-off, following a first round in which the candidates were tied, according to the provided context.
As per Al Jazeera, leaders from countries across Latin America and several prominent left leaders congratulated Lula on his win over Bolsonaro.
According to the news report, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, "Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won. Congratulations, President Lula!"
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said, "I congratulate President Lula on his victory. Bolivia and Brazil are neighbouring and sister countries, united by a shared history and common challenges. We will continue working together to strengthen our relationship and generate more opportunities for our nations."
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena said, "Congratulations, Lula, on your election as President of Brazil. I salute the Brazilian people for this great democratic journey. Paraguay and Brazil share a common agenda of integration and development. We will continue working together for the well-being of our people."
According to Brazilian Media and projections by Datafolha, with 99.77 per cent of the votes counted, the incumbent president had 51.76 per cent of the valid votes in the second round of the election, compared to 48.24 per cent for Bolsonaro junior.
Victory makes the Workers' Party member extend his record as the second longest-serving holder of the office, behind Getúlio Vargas. By the end of his last term, he will have been in power for 16 years, a record in Brazil's democratic history.
The victory follows a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living, crime and corruption.
CNN reported that it is also the first time since the return of direct presidential elections in 1989 that a candidate has won the presidency after finishing second in the first round.
Lula, who first governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, has faced a tough reelection battle because of
concerns about the cost of living and security. Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to bring down food costs.
Both Presidential candidates had been hit by corruption allegations involving family members and allies. Lula had spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled.
The results of Sunday's run-off came after a heated election day, with voting being extended by two hours following last-minute pleas from both candidates to electoral authorities.
According to CNN, Lula's victory will have repercussions beyond Brazil, keeping Latin America’s largest country on a more independent foreign-policy path under Lula, who has emphasised Brazil’s sovereignty and closer ties with the Global South and China amid tensions with the Trump administration.
Lula began his political career in the 1970s as a union leader. He then helped found the Workers' Party, which he represented as a presidential candidate three times until he finally won in 2002. He was re-elected four years later and was succeeded by one of his cabinet ministers, Dilma Rousseff, in 2010. She was re-elected in 2014.