Brazil's Liberal Party accepts Lula's victory; Bolsonaro refuses to concede

Brazil’s Liberal Party, the political home of defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, said on Monday it accepts the results of Sunday’s runoff, confirming incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory, even as Bolsonaro himself has still not formally conceded. In Brasília, party president Valdemar Costa Neto issued a statement after the Supreme Court ordered polling stations to stay open two extra hours. The party’s acknowledgment comes amid a flurry of legal challenges from Bolsonaro’s camp.

The runoff ended with Lula winning just over 51 percent of the valid votes, a comeback after trailing in the first round. Bolsonaro’s campaign had asked for a later closing time, citing heavy rain, while Lula’s team cited public‑transport disruptions. The court’s decision to add two hours was seen as a compromise, but Bolsonaro has vowed to overturn the result, saying the vote was marred by irregularities and “abuses of political and economic power.” He has offered no evidence to back those claims.

Lula received about 64.2 million votes, roughly 51 percent, while Bolsonaro garnered nearly 59.8 million, about 48 percent. Bolsonaro has pledged to seek a disqualification of Lula’s win, though he has not presented proof. He also disclosed that Brazil’s Federal Police ordered him to surrender his passports after a visit to his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest following a 27‑year sentence for a 2022 coup attempt. The passport restriction was imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in a separate investigation tied to comments by Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo.

The party’s statement that it “recognizes the election results but believes questions raised about the vote still need clarification” signals a possible legal push, but it also isolates Bolsonaro from his own political base. Analysts say further challenges are unlikely to