Flávio Bolsonaro’s party acknowledges Lula’s victory in Brazil’s presidential election

Cristiana Dida

27 October 2026, 08:26

International

Credit: Eraldo Peres / AP / Profimedia

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The Liberal Party of conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro acknowledged the results of Brazil’s presidential election on Monday, which was won by left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The party accepted the result proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court, but called for clarification regarding the impact of social assistance provided during the campaign.

Flávio Bolsonaro has not officially conceded defeat. He withdrew his request to annul the election, but announced that he would ask the courts to invalidate Lula’s candidacy, citing alleged abuse of economic and political power. The right-wing candidate had previously accused the election of being “rigged” and challenged the extension of voting by two hours.

Lula, who is turning 81, made up the gap from the first round and won a fourth term, with approximately four percentage points more than Bolsonaro. The president of the Superior Electoral Court rejected the allegations and said the election had been successfully conducted.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the election fraudulent, while the European Union, France, China, Russia and India congratulated Lula. Brazilian markets reacted negatively, with the benchmark index closing the session down nearly 14% amid concerns over rising public spending and fiscal discipline.

Context: Brazil’s election entered the decisive round with close polls and extended voting due to logistical problems

Polls published a few days earlier placed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro neck and neck or nearly so: a Datafolha survey gave both candidates 50%, while other research (Quaest) indicated a small difference, with Bolsonaro slightly ahead. In the first round, on October 4, Flávio Bolsonaro had secured an advantage in polls and provisional counts, and after 47% of the ballots had been partially counted, he was reported at approximately 50.20%, compared with 41.63% for Lula.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s election was marked by procedural adjustments: Flávio Bolsonaro later cited the extension of voting hours by two hours, a decision adopted following reports of transportation problems and heavy rains.