FACT CHECK: Did Brazil’s Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro Annul The Election Results After His Loss?
A photo shared on Instagram purports Brazil’s outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, annulled the election results after losing to president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
There is no evidence for this claim. Bolsonaro’s bid to annul the election results was rejected by the head of Brazil’s electoral authority.
Fact Check:
Bolsonaro recently broke his silence about his Oct. 30 loss to Lula da Silva, stating “It hurts [his] soul,” New York Post reported. Supporters of the outgoing president have attempted to attack the headquarters of the federal police in protest to the outgoing president’s loss, BBC reported.
An Instagram post claims Bolsonaro has annulled the election results. The post goes on to claim Lula is rumored to serve more prison time and critiques U.S. citizens on their lack of courage in confronting alleged voter fraud.
“Bolsonaro just annulled the fraudulent election in Brazil,” the post reads. “With the help of the military and waves of millions upon millions of pissed off citizens IN EVERY CITY IN BRAZIL, it looks like the socialist fraud, Lula, will be vacating the Presidency.”
There is no evidence for this claim, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to suggest that the votes have been successfully annulled. No such announcement appears on the government’s website. (RELATED: Did Jair Bolsonaro Announce Military Would Audit The Brazilian Presidential Election?)
It’s true that Bolsonaro called on electoral authority in November to annul votes cast on voting machines, citing a software bug, though experts said it did not affect election results, The Associated Press reported. The head of Brazil’s electoral authority has since rejected Bolsonaro’s bid to annul the ballots, according to the Los Angeles Times.
This is not the first time misinformation about politics has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim John Kennedy told Alejando Mayorkas he “will be impeached.”
