US President Donald Trump has questioned the election results in Brazil and described them as ‘rigged’ after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth historic term, defeating right-wing leader Flavio Bolsonaro in what many called an extremely close contest.
Reacting to the results during an interaction with reporters in Lowa’s Andrew on Monday (local time), the 80-year-old Republican leader said the Brazil elections remain under suspicion, questioning over how it was conducted. He said he would not endorse Lula’s victory, calling the election results ‘corrupt’.
“Well, it looked terrible to me. I thought it was terrible-looking. I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly,” Trump said. “I didn’t take sides, but it was a terrible look for the world. It’s another election – you know, elections have to be indisputable. And it looked very bad to me. I didn’t take sides, I didn’t endorse anybody or anything, but I watched the election and it looks so – so corrupt. So terrible.”
Lula, an 80-year-old former factory worker and leader of the left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), has been a vocal critic of Trump. The two have often taken digs at each other, but analysts feel that his victory has stopped the right-wing wave in South America.
But Trump on Monday said he gets along with the Brazilian leader ‘very well’ even as he didn’t endorse his victory.
“Well, I’m not running Brazil, I’m running the USA. And I just thought that the election was — I like Lula. I get along with him very well. I just think it had a very bad look, the election, the way it was tabulated. You know, with the extension given, it was very strange,” he remarked.
According to Brazil’s officials, Lula secured 51.75 per cent votes to defeat Bolsonaro, who is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro received 48.25 per cent votes, giving a tough contest to Lula, who later thanked the Brazilians after he secured a historic fourth term.
“This victory belongs to a people who believe, who fight, and who never give up on building a more just, sovereign, and democratic Brazil,” the left-wing leader said in his victory speech.
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