Brazil’s presidential election has been thrown into a legal dispute after defeated candidate Flávio Bolsonaro rejected the outcome and threatened to seek its annulment following President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory.

Lula secured more than 51 per cent of the votes in Sunday’s runoff, defeating Bolsonaro by approximately 4.4 million votes to win another term as leader of Latin America’s largest economy.

According to a report by Alessandra Freitas, published by Reuters, Bolsonaro questioned the legitimacy of the election after the Supreme Court authorised a two-hour extension of voting, citing disruptions affecting voters’ access to polling stations.

“It is impossible to recognize the election result given how these events unfolded,” Bolsonaro told supporters in Brasília, adding that his team would take legal action to have the election annulled.

The extension followed requests from both candidates. Lula’s campaign cited difficulties affecting buses transporting voters to polling stations in several states, while Bolsonaro’s camp pointed to heavy rainfall that reportedly hindered access to voting centres in some areas.

However, the circumstances surrounding the extension have not established that the election was irregular. Paulo Sotero of the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute told CNN that the decision was authorised by the Supreme Court to address localised problems and that Bolsonaro’s chances of overturning the outcome were very slim.

Lula’s victory marks a setback for the political movement associated with former president Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, who lost to Lula in the 2022 election and is now imprisoned.

In his victory remarks, Lula pledged to change his approach to governance by giving citizens a greater role in government decisions. He also thanked Brazilians, particularly young people who supported what he described as the defence of democracy.

The result also carries implications for Brazil’s international relations. Lula has advocated an independent foreign policy, stronger engagement with developing countries and closer ties with China, positions that could shape the country’s relations with the United States under President Donald Trump.

Trump had said he was monitoring the Brazilian runoff but did not publicly endorse either candidate. He had previously praised Bolsonaro’s performance in the first round and described the election as important.

Although Bolsonaro has vowed to challenge the result, the legal prospects of his petition remain uncertain. The dispute now shifts attention from the election campaign to the judicial process that will determine whether his challenge can alter the declared outcome.