A Worry in Brazil: Bolsonaro Still Hasn't Conceded

World leaders from President Biden to Vladimir Putin have congratulated Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his close victory in the Brazilian presidential election, notes Reuters. But one prominent figure has so far not weighed in, and his voice may be the most important of all—outgoing Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro. As of Monday morning, the right-wing populist had not conceded the race or spoken with da Silva. As both Reuters and the New York Times report, that is raising the troubling possibility that Bolsonaro will not recognize the results.

For much of the past year, Bolsonaro has laid the groundwork for such a move by casting doubt on the integrity of the system despite a lack of "credible evidence" that anything is amiss with the nation's voting machines, per the Times. He told supporters last year that only three outcomes were possible after the election—he would win, be killed, or be arrested. Bolsonaro also was one of the last world leaders to recognize Biden's victory in the US, and he publicly cast doubt on Biden's win just two days before their first meeting in June of this year.

Bolsonaro is expected to make public comments on Monday, according to Reuters. Fox News notes that last week he sounded more accepting of a possible loss, declaring: "Whoever has the most votes takes it. This is democracy." Another factor: The Times reports that Brazil's military leaders have made clear they will not support any Bolsonaro attempts to challenge the election results. (More Jair Bolsonaro stories.)