Bolsonaro breaks election silence but refuses to recognise Lula’s victory

Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has broken his almost two-day silence over his defeat in Sunday's presidential election - but refused to congratulate or recognize the victory of his rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro lost what was widely seen as Brazil's most important election in decades by a margin of 2.1m votes - 50.9% to 49.1% - and dozens of world leaders swiftly recognized Lula's victory.

But Bolsonaro said nothing, with local media reports suggesting the erratic right-wing populist was holed up in his presidential residence consumed by anger, despondency and disbelief.

In a brief appearance on Tuesday afternoon Bolsonaro at last broke his silence, amid growing public indignation at his undemocratic stance.

"Our dreams are more alive than ever," the 67-year-old told journalists who had been summoned to the Alvorada palace in the capital Brasilia.

However, Bolsonaro, who is the first serving president to lose a re-election bid in Brazilian history, made no mention of the election's winner and did not say whether he accepted the result.

He thanked the 58 million voters who had backed his failed campaign but did not explicitly say he would respect Lula's win or allude to the 60 million people who voted for his opponent.