Trump alleges Brazil election 'rigged' after Lula's 4th-term win
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has alleged that Brazil's recent presidential election was "rigged." The leftist candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the election, defeating his right-wing opponent Flavio Bolsonaro. While Trump had not endorsed any candidate this time, he had previously supported Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio's father and former Brazilian President.
Election scrutiny
Trump's concerns about vote counting
Trump's main concern was with the counting of votes and a last-minute decision to extend voting hours across Brazil.
"It looked like another rigged election, frankly," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
He added, "I didn't take sides, but it was a terrible look for the world. Elections have to be indisputable, and it looked really bad to me."
However, he didn't provide any evidence to back his claims of irregularities in the election process.
Voting extension
Two-hour nationwide voting extension ordered by Brazil's Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Brazil had ordered a two-hour nationwide voting extension after both candidates requested more time.
Lula's request was due to issues with buses transporting voters in nine states, while Bolsonaro cited heavy rain in southern Brazil.
The extension led to confusion at some polling stations, with reports that voting machines had already been switched off before officials received the order to keep voting open. Trump described this as "very strange."
Election aftermath
US may eventually recognize Lula's victory
Lula's victory has been met with resistance from some Trump supporters, including Steve Bannon.
Bannon called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sever diplomatic ties and "shut down everything with Brazil."
Despite the resistance, a Brazilian official expressed confidence that the United States would eventually recognize Lula's victory due to indisputable voting numbers.
Victory speech
Lula's victory speech and Trump's influence in Latin America
In his victory speech, Lula emphasized his commitment to democracy. He said, "Democracy always, dictatorship never again. Democracy always, fascism never again."
This comes amid Trump's often-claimed credit for a conservative shift in Latin America.
Despite political differences over trade and security policy with Washington, both Trump and Lula have spoken positively about their personal exchanges.