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

Defeated president speaks after two days but fails to congratulate opponent and does not explicitly say he respects result

• Brazil election: how Lula won the runoff against Bolsonaro

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 Inacio 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.