US Democrats welcome Brazil election results after Bolsonaro's threats

President Joe Biden quickly extended his congratulations to the president-elect who ousted far-right Jair Bolsonaro

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

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.

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.

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.