Flávio Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party on Monday (October 26, 2026) recognised the outcome of Brazil’s presidential runoff, despite the candidate’s objections to the poll won by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), pulled off a dramatic comeback after trailing Mr. Lula pulled around 4.4 million more votes than his rival on Sunday (October 25, 2026). Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator and 45-year-old son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, cried foul after polling was extended nationwide for two hours, at Mr. ALSO WATCH Watch: Lula defeats far-right Bolsonaro to secure a fourth presidential term | Above the Fold | Oct 26, 2026 In a video posted to social media on Monday (October 26, 2026) afternoon, Mr Bolsonaro said police had ordered him to surrender his passports, adding, “I am now prohibited from leaving the country. Brazil’s markets tumbled nearly 17% and the dollar surged against the real in response to leftist Lula’s re-election, as investors worried about fiscal discipline. Lula on Sunday (October 25, 2026) night. Lawyer Julio Canelo, 42, hailed a victory for “the entire democratic spectrum. Lula told jubilant supporters on Sunday (October 26, 2026) night. Lula in the 2022 elections. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup to stop Mr.
Lula’s request, due to transport problems in some cities. Mr. Bolsonaro in a first-round vote, a defeat which fired up the left on the streets and social media to secure him a fourth term in office. In the end, Mr. Mr. Though Mr. Bolsonaro maintained that he would seek annulment of the presidential election, his party later distanced itself from that position and opted to accept the official vote. While congratulations rolled in for Mr. Lula from world leaders on both sides of the political divide, Mr. “It looked so corrupt. Mr. Eduardo Bolsonaro cited investigations against his brother. Brazilian police are probing Mr. “I never had any intention of leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this travesty,” Mr. Mr. Flavio Bolsonaro slammed Mr. The left was triumphant after securing a historic turnaround in the vote, with thousands pouring into the streets to celebrate Mr. Mr. The proportion of spoiled and blank votes also decreased. European nations, Russia, China, India, South Africa and others congratulated Lula. Several right-wing governments in Latin America — who are close to Trump — accepted the victory, with Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella saying even though he had backed Bolsonaro: “When the people speak at the ballot box, their will must be respected. Flavio Bolsonaro’s rejection of the results echoed his father’s refusal to acknowledge losing to Mr. Tension over that result led to hundreds of Mr. Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters storming government buildings a week after Mr. Lula’s inauguration to demand military intervention. Mr. Lula from taking office.
ALSO WATCH Watch: Brazil: Flavio Bolsonaro refuses to concede Lula’s election win “We recognise the presidential election results, as proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), but we believe that the concerns raised need to be sufficiently addressed within a balanced and democratic political debate,” the party said in a statement late Monday (October 26, 2026). Flavio Bolsonaro had also requested polling stations stay open in some regions due to heavy rains, but he described the vote extension as “unacceptable” and a “dirty trick. Trump, an ally of the Bolsonaro family, said the election “looked terrible to me. “I didn’t take sides but it looked like another rigged election frankly,” he told reporters in Washington. He said the decision came from a Supreme Court justice, and was based on a comment by his U.S.-based brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who told a U.S. podcast two days before the election that “if my brother does not win, I am in favor that he would leave the country. Flavio Bolsonaro for corruption over the financing of the biopic “Dark Horse” about his father. Flavio Bolsonaro said. The right-wing candidate also took up the mantle as “leadership of the opposition” in a separate statement. Lula for “an unprecedented abuse of both political and economic power,” over a flurry of social spending announcements during the campaign. “It was the result of the people mobilizing, in the streets and online,” he told AFP . Lula’s re-energised campaign to the cry of “Never Again Bolsonaro,” urging people to go out and vote, saw the abstention rate fall from 21% to 19% in the runoff. “I owe this victory to the rebellious youth who rose up to defend democracy,” Mr. Electoral court chief Kassio Nunes Marques, a Bolsonaro appointee to the Supreme Court, hailed the “successful polls” and said there “were no changes” resulting from the decision to extend voting, even if it did create difficulties.
