Flávio Bolsonaro Cries Foul Over Extended Voting Hours, Seeks To Annul Brazil Election

Brazilian Senator Flavio ​Bolsonaro has declared that he is seeking the annulment of ‌the runoff election after his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro challenged a decision by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours from 5 pm to 7 pm. Although he had also asked for voting hours to be extended, he called Zanin’s ruling “unacceptable” and said it was “changing the rules of the game while the game was being played”.

Bolsonaro said he could not accept the election result and that his lawyers would seek to have the vote annulled. He said the decision had come from “Lula’s friends on the Supreme Court,” according to the Guardian.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva defeated right-wing Bolsonaro in a closely fought election, making a comeback after losing the first round. His initial defeat had strengthened Brazil’s political right.

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court declared Lula the winner shortly after 9pm local time on Sunday (00:00 GMT). With more than 51% of the votes, Lula received over 64 million ballots.

Bolsonaro secured around 48%, or more than 59 million votes. The two candidates were separated by over four million votes, with counting still underway.

Bolsonaro’s response echoed that of his father, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to accept his election defeat to Lula in 2022. Bolsonaro was later convicted in connection with an attempted coup.

Not An Easy Road Ahead For Lula

Lula’s new term will bring political and economic challenges. Without a majority in Congress, his party will have to rely on centre-right groups to get legislation passed and carry out its plans.

He will also need to address Brazil’s growing debt burden. Public debt has climbed above 80% of GDP, while a record 84 million people and 9.3 million businesses have fallen behind on payments, according to credit bureau Serasa, according to a report by FirstPost.

Relations with US President Donald Trump will be another concern. Trump imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods last year over legal proceedings against his ally Jair Bolsonaro. He later added a 25% tariff on some products this year.