USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 March 2024U.S. Holds Back Lula Congratulation Statement After Flávio Bolsonaro Calls For Election Annulment
“The 8o-year-old appears to have made up much of the difference through what his allies had identified as his main opportunity: persuading his voters to turn out.”
“Instead, Brazil’s veteran leftist leader pulled off a stunning upset.”
Photo: United States Department of State / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Lula da Silva won a historic fourth term against Flávio Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro called for annulment of the election.
U.S. delays Brazil statement
The United States government decided to hold back the publication of a statement congratulating the population of Brazil on the presidential election after candidate Flávio Bolsonaro said he did not recognize the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and called for the annulment of the election. The draft of the statement was ready at the United States Department of State, and the guidance was to delay publication and “assess” the situation after Flávio said, in an interview on Sunday night, that irregularities had occurred because of the decision by Supreme Court minister Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours.
The U.S. embassy in Brazil did not provide a publication timeline for the statement, and the U.S. government also did not issue a statement on the Serbia election on Sunday night, in which Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić was defeated. The U.S. government had been one of the first countries to congratulate President Lula on his victory in 2022 during Joe Biden’s administration, amid fraud accusations made by Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro contests, U.S. watches
Flávio Bolsonaro refused to recognize the result and announced that he would seek to have the election annulled through the courts, after he challenged Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s decision to extend voting by two hours. The Trump government’s decision to delay publication of its Brazil election statement came after Flávio Bolsonaro declared he did not recognize Lula’s victory and called for annulment, with the draft prepared at the United States Department of State.
The U.S. embassy in Brazil did not provide a publication timeline for the statement, while the U.S. government also did not issue a statement on the Serbia election on Sunday night. The dispute over the extended voting hours centered on the claim that the uneven application undermined equal voting conditions, with Flávio Bolsonaro saying, “It is impossible to recognize the election results given the circumstances in which these events unfolded,”.
U.S. context and regional ripple
The Guardian described Lula’s victory as a historic fourth term after he defeated far-right opponent Flávio Bolsonaro, and it reported that Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and asked for the results to be annulled.
Politico framed Lula’s win as denying U.S. President Donald Trump greater sway over Latin America’s largest economy, and it reported that Lula won 51.76% of the vote with 99% of ballots counted.
The Washington Post said Lula won reelection Sunday over conservative Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who had pledged to join President Donald Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” security and political initiative.
In the U.S. political context, Politico reported that Lula said in his victory speech, “People went to vote because we convinced them it was important to preserve democracy,” and it added that he did not spare his opponent.