US Democratic leaders moved quickly to support the credibility of Brazil's elections, after president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a divisive election.
President Joe Biden quickly released a statement on Sunday congratulating Mr da Silva on his win “following free, fair and credible elections”.
“I look forward to working together to continue the co-operation between our two countries in the months and years ahead,” Mr Biden said.
Mr da Silva, popularly known as Lula, on Sunday defeated Mr Bolsonaro in an election that marked a stunning comeback for the leftist leader and the end of the country's most right-wing government in decades.
Results were close after a divisive election, but Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court said the results had been “mathematically defined”, with Mr da Silva gaining 50.8 per cent of votes compared with 49.2 per cent for Mr Bolsonaro.
In a Monday phone call with Mr da Silva, Mr Biden also "commended the strength of Brazilian democratic institutions", the White House said.
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Supporters of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrate. EPA -
A supporter of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gathers with others outside his home in Rio de Janeiro. Reuters -
The vote was a rebuke for the fiery far-right populism of Mr Bolsonaro. Reuters -
Supporters of Mr da Silva cheer his win. Reuters -
Supporters of Mr da Silva in Sao Paulo. AFP -
Mr da Silva has vowed a return to state-driven economic growth and social policies that helped lift millions out of poverty when he governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010. AFP -
Supporters of Mr da Silva react as they wait for the election's results in Sao Paulo. Reuters -
Bolsonaro supporters in Brasilia. Getty Images -
Mr da Silva was previously president from 2003-2010. AFP -
Bolsonaro supporters in Brasilia. Getty Images -
Supporters of Mr da Silva in Rio de Janeiro. AFP -
Days before Sunday’s vote, Mr Bolsonaro intensified attacks on electoral authorities, claiming his campaign was not getting equal access to the airwaves, stoking fears that he may be planning to contest the vote. Getty Images -
A voter wrapped in a Brazilian flag arrives to vote in the presidential run-off. AP -
Mr Bolsonaro poses with a supporter after voting in Rio de Janeiro. AFP -
Mr da Silva waves while leaving the polling station in Sao Paulo. AFP -
A voter in Sao Paulo. AP -
Mr da Silva greets supporters. Reuters -
Mr da Silva, 77, has campaigned on memories of past prosperity. AFP -
Mr Bolsonaro, 67, a former army captain whose style is frequently compared to Donald Trump’s, draws on deep support from Brazil’s powerful agribusiness sector and evangelical community. AFP -
A polling station in Brasilia. Getty Images -
Polls leading into Sunday’s vote showed Mr da Silva holding a slim lead, but Mr Bolsonaro surprised pollsters with a far stronger-than-expected showing in the first-round vote on October 2. Getty Images -
Mr da Silva waves after voting. AP -
Mr da Silva votes in Sao Paulo. AP -
Mr Bolsonaro claims his leftist rival will throw Latin America’s largest economy down a path like Venezuela or Nicaragua. AP -
Voters wait to cast a ballot in Brasilia. AFP -
People queue to vote at a polling station in Brasilia. AFP -
A supporter of Mr da Silva, who says the far-right president would have hollowed out democratic institutions if granted another four-year term. AP
Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, echoed Mr Biden's nod to election credibility in his congratulatory statement, calling the win “a new chapter” in relations between Washington and Brasilia.
“I’m heartened to see the people’s voices respected in a free, fair and democratic election,” said Mr Meeks.
The prompt response from Democrats in Washington followed a week of warnings about Mr Bolsonaro's parallels to former US president Donald Trump, who pushed election fraud conspiracy theories when he lost to Mr Biden in 2020.
Those claims helped fuel the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters attempted to stop Congress from certifying the election results.
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Members of the Proud Boys storming the US Capitol on January 6. AFP -
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington on January 6. AFP -
Proud Boys march with demonstrators during a protest against the Covid-19 vaccine in New York. AFP -
Members of the far-right Proud Boys, including leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, rally in support of former president Donald Trump. Reuters -
A leader of the Proud Boys and four other members of the far-right group were indicted on sedition charges on June 6, 2022, in connection with the January 6 assault on the US Capitol. AFP -
Tarrio faces charges related to the failed attempt by Trump supporters to block Democrat Joe Biden's election victory. AFP -
A British filmmaker followed Tarrio as part of a documentary film. AFP -
Tarrio holds an American flag during a protest. AFP -
Proud Boys gather on the National Mall in Washington. Reuters -
Tarrio speaks to the media following his release from the DC Central Detention Facility where he had been held since September 2021. Reuters -
Proud Boys gather outside the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R Brown Convention Centre in Houston, Texas. AFP -
Proud Boys gather outside the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting in Houston after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. AFP -
The National Rifle Association convention took place right after the massacre of 19 children at a Texas primary school. The Proud Boys showed up to support the organisation. AFP
Mr Bolsonaro had also said he would not respect the results if he did not come out on top in the run-off election, sparking fears of similar violence in the South American country. Mr Bolsonaro has so far remained silent.
Last year, Mr Bolsonaro told supporters there were only three outcomes to the election: he wins, he is killed or he is arrested, though he said he would never allow himself to be arrested, The New York Times reported.
Congressional Democrats raised their concerns about Mr Bolsonaro's rhetoric and its Trump-like parallels to Mr Biden in a letter last week.
“According to Bolsonaro’s allies, he is already reportedly working on a 'Donald Trump-style resistance project' in case he loses the election,” said the letter, spearheaded by Patrick Leahy, a senator from Vermont, and cosigned by 31 leaders in the House and Senate.
“If these fears are borne out and Bolsonaro actively rejects the election results, then we must be prepared to stand unequivocally in defence of democracy in Brazil.”
No Republicans signed on to that letter to the president and have so far remained silent on Brazil's election results.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Minority Leader Michael McCaul declined The National's request for comment on Brazil's election results, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not immediately respond.
