US blocks message congratulating Lula on Brazil election win

The White House has blocked a State Department statement congratulating Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his re-election in Brazil, delaying its release to reassess the situation after President Jair Bolsonaro contested the result. Bolsonaro declared the outcome "inexplicable" and is seeking an annulment following a Supreme Court decision to extend voting by two hours, a move his son Flávio called a "dirty trick" and "unacceptable," saying he would request the election's annulment. Lula's victory denies the US president a key ally among right-wing, Trump-supporting Latin American leaders, though Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador have already congratulated him, while other Trump allies and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham have not yet done so.