Lula wins a fourth term in Brazil from behind; Flávio Bolsonaro rejects the result and flies to the U.S.
NPR's report follows 72 hours from election night to a private-jet exit via Argentina, with Lula's and Trump's reactions.
Brazil's electoral court declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the winner of the October 25 runoff with about 51.8% of the vote, a lead of nearly 4.4 million over right-wing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. It is Lula's fourth, non-consecutive term, starting January 5, 2027, and the first time since military rule ended in 1985 that the second-place finisher in the first round won the presidency. Voting was extended two hours at both candidates' request; Bolsonaro called the extension unprecedented and asked for the result to be annulled.
On October 26 Brazil's Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his passports and barred him from leaving, amid money-laundering and tax-evasion investigations he denies. He crossed into Argentina on October 27 with his family and landed near Miami on October 28; a senior U.S. official said the State Department would issue the family visas. From the U.S., he called himself the country's "president-elect" and alleged fraud and persecution. His Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula's win. Lula called the departure "shameful." His father, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, is under house arrest serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.
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Superior Electoral Court
After exploring Bolsonaro calls for Brazil poll results to be annulled, the court that declared the result is the Superior Electoral Court.
The highest body of Brazil's Electoral Justice, which also includes a Regional Electoral Court in each of the 26 states and the Federal District, under Article 118 of Brazil's Constitution.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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