Liberal Party Accepts Lula's Win as Bolsonaro Withholds Concession

BRASILIA, Brazil: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a second presidential term Sunday with just over 51% of valid votes, taking about 64.2 million ballots against Flávio Bolsonaro's 48% and nearly 59.8 million. Lula trailed in the first round and gained more than 10 million additional votes in the runoff, helped by higher turnout and support from voters who backed other candidates or had stayed home previously.

The Liberal Party, which backed Bolsonaro, said Monday it recognizes the results. Party president Valdemar Costa Neto said in a statement that the party acknowledges the outcome but believes "questions raised about the vote" still need clarification.

Bolsonaro has not conceded. He first said he would seek to annul the results, citing alleged irregularities including an extension of voting hours. On Sunday, the Supreme Court ordered polling stations open two more hours, until 7 p.m., after Lula's campaign cited public transportation disruptions. Bolsonaro's campaign also requested more time, pointing to heavy rain in southern Brazil.

In a video Monday, Bolsonaro 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 provided 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 former president is under house arrest after a 27-year sentence for his role in the 2022 coup attempt against Lula. "I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," he said. The passport order came from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation.

President Trump questioned the election's legitimacy Monday. "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election," he told reporters, offering no evidence of fraud.

Lula's campaign added support across Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, along with younger, older and working-class voters. Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, called it "a nationwide victory, a systemic victory, from top to bottom, and from left to right." Congress gained seats for the Liberal Party, leaving Lula facing conservative opposition.