Brazil's top electoral court has rejected a challenge from outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro's coalition to overturn the results of October's presidential runoff, which he lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The court also fined the coalition 22.9 million reais ($4.3 million) for what it described as bad faith litigation.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who heads the electoral court, ruled that the challenge lacked evidence and was based on a fraudulent narrative. He noted that the coalition had refused to provide additional information requested by the court, further demonstrating its bad faith.
Bolsonaro's party had argued that a software bug in some electronic voting machines rendered their votes invalid. However, independent experts consulted by the Associated Press said the bug did not affect reliability, and each machine remained identifiable through other means.
De Moraes also ordered an investigation into Valdemar Costa, the president of Bolsonaro's party, suggesting the challenge aimed to encourage anti-democratic protests. Political analyst Maurício Santoro said the ruling sends a clear message that questioning election results will be severely punished.
Lula's victory has been ratified by the electoral court and acknowledged by Brazil's political establishment and international allies. Bolsonaro himself has authorised the transition process. Gleisi Hoffmann, president of Lula's Workers' Party, called the challenge 'chicanery' and urged the nation to move forward.
