Washington, Oct 27 (IANS) Brazilian right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro has dropped his call to annul Sunday’s presidential runoff and his Liberal Party (PL) has recognised President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory, hours after US President Donald Trump signalled he would not step in.
Asked by reporters on Monday before boarding Air Force One whether he wanted to “do something about the election issues” in Brazil, Trump said: “Uh, well I’m not running Brazil, I’m running the USA.”
“And I just thought that the election was, uh — I like Lula. I get along with him very well. I just think it had a very bad look, the election, the way it was tabulated. You know, with the extension given was very strange,” he said.
The Washington Post reported that Bolsonaro “effectively conceded defeat” minutes after Trump indicated he would not intervene on his behalf.
On Monday evening, PL president Valdemar Costa Neto said in a statement: “We recognise the presidential result, proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), but we understand that the questions raised need to be properly clarified within a balanced and democratic political debate,” according to Folha de S.Paulo.
In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro did not explicitly admit defeat but said he would lead the opposition from Congress, where the right won a majority. “To resist the chaos, I will organise the opposition,” he said, adding that he would make the Chamber and Senate “our fortress”.
He said his campaign would seek the disqualification of Lula’s ticket for abuse of economic power. “It wasn’t me who lost, it was the system that won,” he said.
On Sunday night Bolsonaro had said it was “impossible” to recognise the result and that he would seek annulment, citing a Supreme Federal Court decision by Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours, Folha reported.
The extension was originally sought by Lula’s Workers’ Party after complaints about a lack of transport for voters, and Bolsonaro’s PL later joined the request, according to El Pais.
Lula won about 64 million votes to Bolsonaro’s about 59 million, a margin of 51 per cent to 48 per cent.
At the same appearance, Trump defended issuing two endorsements in Israel’s election. “No, I never spoke about that. I gave — it wasn’t an endorsement, it was just, uh, I put out both endorsements. I put out both,” he said when asked whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sought the second endorsement.
“I think he’s done a very good job as prime minister under very trying conditions,” he said of Netanyahu.
Trump also announced a $1 million reward for anyone who reports voter fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.
–IANS
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