EASTORA REPORT | “I lost to the system. I did not lose to my opponent.” Flávio Bolsonaro said it from Miami on Wednesday, days after losing Brazil’s presidency to Lula. His own party has accepted the result. He has not.
Bolsonaro told The New York Times that Lula’s gain of 10.3 million votes between the two rounds was “mathematically impossible.” He challenged statisticians to explain it and insisted the election had been manipulated. He presented no evidence that votes had been changed.
The numbers offer an answer. Ten candidates eliminated in the first round had received 9.3 million votes between them. Turnout rose in the runoff, while blank and invalid ballots fell. Lula gained about 10.3 million votes; Bolsonaro gained roughly 3.7 million. A larger increase for one candidate does not make the result impossible.
On October 25, Lula won 64.26 million votes to Bolsonaro’s 59.83 million. Bolsonaro also questioned a late extension of polling hours. Brazil’s electoral court says 34,393 votes were cast after the usual closing time, against Lula’s winning margin of more than 4.4 million. His Liberal Party recognized Lula’s victory.
Bolsonaro says he plans to challenge the result in court, though he expects little success. He is making his case about Brazil’s election from outside the country.
The day after the vote, he was ordered to hand over his passports amid criminal investigations. Soon afterwards, Bolsonaro travelled through South America to the United States. He has not been charged. He says he feared arrest and arranged the journey without government help. Asked how he got to Miami, he said: “I’ll take that to the grave with me.”
The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reported that a White House official arranged the private jet for the last leg. Bolsonaro denies receiving such help, though he thanked Donald Trump for allowing his family to remain in the United States.
Bolsonaro says he would run again if Brazil holds another election. For now, Lula remains president, Bolsonaro remains in Miami, and the evidence behind his accusation is still missing.