Follow-Up: Flávio Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede Brazil Runoff, Says He Will Seek Annulment of the Vote
BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Brazilian right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro said on Sunday he would not concede defeat after the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the winner of the presidential runoff, and that he would seek the annulment of the runoff election, Reuters reported. It was the losing camp's first formal statement since the result was announced.
Bolsonaro singled out a ruling by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin extending voting by two hours, calling it "unacceptable." On runoff day, after public transport problems disrupted voters' trips to polling stations in several states and heavy rain hit parts of the country, Zanin approved a two-hour extension of voting, and the electoral court paused the release of results for two hours; both campaigns had filed requests to extend voting.
When the electoral court declared the result, 99.86% of voting sections had been counted: Lula had 64,137,770 votes, or 51.76% of valid votes, against 59,769,627 votes, or 48.24%, for Flávio Bolsonaro — a lead of 4,368,143 votes and a fourth non-consecutive term, with the new term set to begin on January 5, 2027. Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss.
Lula has delivered a victory speech. According to the BBC, Lula thanked the "generosity of the Brazilian people," including young people who "went to the streets to defend Brazilian democracy"; several outlets reported that he said Brazilians had voted to "guarantee democracy" and promised better regulation of big tech platforms. Leaders of several Latin American countries congratulated Lula during the day.
The specific legal route Bolsonaro will take to seek annulment, and the electoral court's response, have not yet been announced. Reuters previously reported that foreign diplomats had discussed quickly recognizing the winner to head off an institutional crisis; after his 2022 loss, Jair Bolsonaro refused to concede for days, and his supporters later stormed government buildings in the capital. GSM will continue to follow the electoral court and both camps.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴西参议员 Flávio Bolsonaro 接受参议院电视台采访（资料照片，2025年6月）。Carlos Moura／Agência Senado 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of Brazil in a Senate TV interview (file photo, June 2025). Photo by Carlos Moura/Agência Senado, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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