Trump Calls Brazil Vote Rigged Without Evidence

U.S. President Donald Trump questioned the legitimacy of Brazil’s presidential election, calling it apparently rigged and corrupt without presenting evidence, as the defeated candidate’s Liberal Party accepted the result and Flávio Bolsonaro said he would pursue a separate legal challenge. Trump told reporters on Monday, October 26, that the vote “looked like another rigged election” and that its conduct looked corrupt. He also said he had not taken sides. His remarks were allegations, not evidence of electoral fraud. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the October 25 runoff, defeating Bolsonaro by about 4.4 million votes. Lula received roughly 51.8% of the vote, compared with Bolsonaro’s 48.2%, according to reported results. The result gave Lula a fourth term in office. Valdemar Costa Neto, leader of the Liberal Party, said the party recognized the presidential election result while calling for concerns to be clarified. The party’s acceptance did not amount to a concession by Bolsonaro, who said he would organize the opposition and seek the disqualification of Lula’s ticket over alleged abuse of economic power. Bolsonaro had initially called the result unacceptable and said he...