Brazil: Flávio Bolsonaro's party recognizes Lula's re-election but maintains its reserves

The Liberal Party (PL) of Flávio Bolsonaro recognized on Monday 26 October the result of the Brazilian presidential election, won by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a fourth term. However, the defeated candidate did not formally admit his defeat. He abandoned his announced request for the cancellation of the election, but claimed that he wanted to seek the annulment of Lula's candidacy for economic and political "abuse of power". The Courier, RTS and L-Express converge on this distinction between the party's position and that of the senator. [S1] [S2] [S3]

Recognize the result without abandoning the challenge

In a communiqué, the PL accepts the result proclaimed by the Higher Electoral Tribunal (TSE), while seeking "clarification" on the impact of social assistance approved during the campaign. This statement is attributed to the party president, Valdemar Costa Neto. These reservations concern the conditions of electoral competition; the articles consulted do not present a judicial decision establishing the abuses alleged to the outgoing President. [S2] [S3] [S5]

The change of position of Flávio Bolsonaro therefore shifts the object of his contest: it no longer aims to have the vote cancelled itself, but to question the candidate's candidacy. The Express recalls that both sides had already taken action against their opponent before the second round. The information available relates to the announcement of the new appeal, without allowing the filing, timing or outcome of the appeal. [S3]

Two extra hours at the heart of the dispute

On Sunday evening, Flávio Bolsonaro challenged the two-hour extension of the vote decided by Cristiano Zanin, a judge of the Supreme Court, due to alleged problems of voter displacement. According to Reuters and the BBC, both campaigns had taken more time to vote. Bolsonaro's had cited heavy rains in the south of the country. The BBC states that many offices had already closed when the decision was reached. [S6] [S7]

The published estimates converge on one point: the votes recorded during this extension were far from the gap between the candidates. Reuters reports an advance of more than four million votes for Lula and less than 35,000 more votes, according to an analysis of the electoral registers conducted by Pedro Burgos, professor at the Insper. The BBC reported about 33,800 votes between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to a count by its journalist Luiz Fernando Toledo. These figures come from separate work and are not a single balance sheet. [S6] [S7]

When asked by Reuters, Rubens Beça, a constitutional law specialist at the University of São Paulo, felt that cancellation was very unlikely. According to his analysis, it would have to be demonstrated, inter alia, that potentially affected votes could change the result. This legal assessment is not valid. The president of the TSE, Kassio Nunes Marques, claimed that the extension had not changed the outcome of the election, while criticising Zanin's decision, said the BBC. [S6] [S7]

Access to ballot boxes and the responsibility of candidates

For voters, the dispute raises two concrete issues: being able to vote despite material obstacles and having reliable rules. The sources document the reasons for extending the opening of the offices, but do not allow to measure how many people prevented from moving were finally able to vote. Nor do they establish that this measure would have distorted the choice expressed in the ballot boxes. [S2] [S6] [S7]

The controversy also remains political. Donald Trump described the election as "rigging," while several foreign leaders, especially Europeans, congratulated Lula. These positions do not affect the legal validity of the election or the accusations of abuse during the campaign. At this stage, the result is recognized by the party of the defeated candidate; the protest announced by Flávio Bolsonaro remains distinct, and its outcome unknown. [S2] [S3] [S4]