▲ Flavio Bolsonaro, Brazilian Senator
Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential runoff held locally on October 25, has withdrawn his plan to file a lawsuit to annul the election just a day after announcing it.
The Liberal Party (PL), Flavio Bolsonaro's political party, stated locally yesterday (October 26) that it officially recognizes the presidential election results.
However, Flavio Bolsonaro argued that the Lula camp committed "unprecedented political and economic abuse of power" by introducing populist policies during the campaign, and he warned that he would continue to pursue separate legal actions.
In a statement yesterday (October 26), the Liberal Party (PL) announced that it accepts the presidential election results released by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Waldemar Costa Neto, leader of the Liberal Party (PL), stated that while the party accepts the election results, the impact of increased government spending ahead of the election on electoral fairness must still be investigated.
In the vote on October 25, Lula secured 51.79 percent of the vote, defeating Flavio Bolsonaro, who received 48.21 percent, by a margin of 3.58 percentage points.
The gap in the vote count between the two candidates was approximately 4.43 million votes.
On the night of October 25, when Lula's victory was declared, Flavio Bolsonaro took issue with the two-hour extension of voting hours, announcing that he would contest the election results and push for an election annulment lawsuit.
The extension of voting hours on October 25 was due to transportation disruptions and bad weather in certain regions. Both election campaigns had requested extensions, though there were differences in the requested regions and scope.
The president of the Superior Electoral Court stated that the extension of voting hours did not affect the election results.
According to election authority data cited by Bloomberg, the number of votes cast during the extended period was about 34,000, which fell far short of the total vote margin between the two candidates.
Late in the afternoon the following day, October 26, Flavio Bolsonaro posted a social media video stating that he would change his course of action.
He said that instead of filing a lawsuit to invalidate the election itself, he would file a lawsuit seeking to nullify Lula's victory by taking issue with welfare policies announced by the government just before the election, the use of public funds, and allegations of spreading misinformation.
Ahead of the presidential election, the Lula government announced policies such as large-scale debt relief for small business owners and the expansion of free weekend public transportation.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented to reporters on October 26 regarding the Brazilian presidential election, saying, "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election." However, when asked if he would take any action regarding the Brazilian election results, he stated, "I don't govern Brazil. I govern the United States."
The U.S. daily The Washington Post (WP) reported that Trump's response ruled out the possibility of intervening on Bolsonaro's behalf, and that just minutes later, Flavio Bolsonaro announced the withdrawal of his plans for an election annulment lawsuit, effectively conceding defeat.
An aide acting as an advisor to the Bolsonaro family told The Washington Post, "Flavio has given up," adding, "He is afraid. He is afraid that his father [former President Jair Bolsonaro] will die in prison and that he himself could be imprisoned this week and spend a long time in prison."
The aide stated that Bolsonaro is attempting to accept the election defeat out of fear of imprisonment.
Flavio Bolsonaro's father, Jair Bolsonaro, served as president from early 2019 to early 2023. After losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula, he was arrested on charges of attempting a self-coup, sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison in September of last year, and is currently under house arrest in Brasília.
In the social media video posted on the afternoon of October 26, Flavio Bolsonaro stated that he had visited his father that morning and was subsequently notified by federal police that he had been issued a summons to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports within 24 hours, along with a travel ban.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.