Brazil's Liberal Party Recognizes Lula's Win; Flávio Bolsonaro Withholds Concession

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won just over 51% of valid votes in Brazil's Sunday runoff, taking about 64.2 million ballots against nearly 59.8 million for his challenger. The count gave Lula more than 48% for Flávio Bolsonaro.

The Liberal Party, Bolsonaro's party, accepted the result on Monday. Its president, Valdemar Costa Neto, issued a statement saying the party recognizes the election results but that "questions raised about the vote" still need to be clarified.

Flávio Bolsonaro has not conceded. He said earlier he would seek to annul the results, pointing to irregularities that included the Supreme Court's order to keep polling stations open two extra hours until 7 p.m. The court acted on an appeal from Lula's campaign, which cited public transport disruption; Bolsonaro's campaign asked for the same extension, citing heavy rain in southern Brazil.

In a video posted Monday, Bolsonaro changed course. He said he would seek to have Lula's victory disqualified over alleged abuses of political and economic power. "The law must apply to everyone," he said. "The competition must be fair and equal, which did not happen." He did not present evidence for the claim.

Bolsonaro also said Brazil's Federal Police ordered him to surrender his passports after he visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasília. "I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," he said. The order came from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in connection with a separate investigation.

Former President Donald Trump questioned the legitimacy of the vote on Monday, telling reporters, "I didn't take sides, but it looked like another rigged election." He offered no evidence of fraud.

Lula trailed in the first round and added more than 10 million votes in the runoff, helped by turnout and by voters who had backed other candidates or had stayed home. Gains in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, along with support from younger, older and working-class voters, carried him past Bolsonaro. In his victory speech in São Paulo, Lula thanked the Brazilian youth for "taking to the streets" to defend democracy.

Thiago Vidal, a political analyst with Prospectiva consultants, called the result a "nationwide victory, a systemic victory" from top to bottom and from left to right. He said the margin gives Lula a mandate to govern but noted the Liberal Party made gains in Congress, leaving Lula facing a conservative opposition.

Lula's online campaign was directed in part by André Janones, a congressman from Minas Gerais, who used Instagram and WhatsApp to reach younger voters. His WhatsApp channel, called "Lula's Army," drew more than 10 million followers.

Brisa Pereira, 17, cast her first vote at a polling place in a Brasília suburb. She said Lula's path from factory worker to president inspired her. "It's not the '90s anymore. We have rights, and Donald Trump can't speak for all of America," Pereira said.