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Brazil’s presidential race resulted in an upset, with Lula defeating Trump ally Bolsonaro. Trump immediately questioned fraud, but Bolsonaro changed his mind minutes later to accept defeat and resorted to legal and political conflict.
Washington Post reports,brazil Voting for the presidential election took place on the 25th. Leftist incumbent President Lula unexpectedly defeated the President of the United States.trump Ally Flavio.bolsonaro Since direct presidential elections were resumed in Brazil in 1989, he became the first presidential candidate to lose in the first round and win an upset in a runoff. In response, Trump said on the 26th that “This looks like another rigged election,” but also indicated that he would not help. Minutes later, Bolsonaro, who had originally threatened to call an illegitimate election, virtually conceded defeat.
Trump said, “Frankly, this looks like another rigged election. I didn’t take sides, but it was very ugly and the whole world saw it.” He said, “The results of the election should be indisputable and in my opinion, this election was very bad. I watched it and it seemed like it was full of fraud. It was really very bad.”
Although Trump did not officially express his support for Bolsonaro before the election, he has long had a close relationship with his father, Bolsonaro Sr. The elder Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest. He was convicted of trying to overturn the results of the presidential election in 2023 and trying to remain in power after losing to Lula.
Within minutes of Trump’s comments, Bolsonaro withdrew his demand to declare the election illegitimate. After the election, Bolsonaro refused to accept defeat due to chaotic electoral processes and criticized the temporary extension of the vote by the court as a blatant move, indicating that he would seek to declare the election illegitimate.
Bolsonaro said he would instead file a lawsuit accusing Lula of abusing his power as president to influence the election. This is a common legal tactic used by losing candidates, but it is rarely successful in court.
“I did not lose, but the system won,” Bolsonaro said. He said he would “organize the opposition and build a fort against barbarity.”
Bolsonaro also said that federal police had ordered him to hand over his passport to prevent him from leaving Brazil. At present an investigation is going on against him for suspected corruption and money laundering. He denied any wrongdoing and said he had no plans to flee.
An adviser to the Bolsonaro family revealed: “Bolsonaro has given up. He is very scared. He is worried that his father will die in prison. He is also worried that he will go to prison this week and may face a long sentence in the future.” The advisor said that Bolsonaro is ready to accept defeat only because of the fear of jail.
Reuters reported that Lula, on the other hand, broke election predictions and past election conventions, disappointing investors who had originally bet on a Bolsonaro victory. The exchange rate of Brazil’s currency, the Rio de Janeiro, fell 8.1% against the US dollar, the largest one-day decline since 2002; The Brazilian stock market also experienced its worst one-day decline since 2020.
Summary FAQ
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Leftist incumbent President Lula defeated Bolsonaro and became the first candidate since direct presidential elections were resumed in Brazil in 1989 to lose in the first round and then come back and be elected in the runoff, which is of high historical significance.
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Trump said it looked like another rigged election, argued that the results should be undisputed and that the process was terrible, but he did not formally choose a side and indicated he would not help.
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He originally wanted to challenge the invalidity of the election, but changed his mind a few minutes after Trump spoke and conceded defeat. He then filed a lawsuit accusing Lula of abusing his power and said he would organize the opposition to continue the fight.
