Lula Wins Brazil Election, Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election with 51.79% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro, who refuses to concede and has announced he will challenge the result. The victory sparked celebrations in São Paulo but also fears of a legitimacy crisis similar to 2022. Bolsonaro claims Lula won due to a two-hour polling extension ordered by a Supreme Court judge, though experts note only 35,000 votes were cast in that period, insufficient to change the outcome. The São Paulo stock exchange fell up to 17% as investors unwound bets on Bolsonaro's pro-business campaign. Lula, turning 81, gained about 10 million votes from the first round, aided by grassroots mobilization on WhatsApp. International congratulations came from leaders across the spectrum, but Argentina's Javier Milei and initially Donald Trump remained silent, with Trump later calling the election "rigged" while saying he likes Lula.