President Donald Trump raised concerns about the integrity of Brazil’s presidential election on Monday, saying the vote had the appearance of an unfair process as conservative candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro moved to challenge the results in court. Trump emphasized that elections must be indisputable, placing renewed attention on the transparency of the voting process and the public’s ability to trust democratic outcomes.

“It looked like another rigged election, frankly. I didn’t take sides, but it was a terrible look for the world. Elections have to be indisputable, and it looked very bad to me,” Trump said.

Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of Trump, refused to recognize the results after losing Sunday’s runoff to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He announced that his legal team would seek to have the election annulled, arguing that a last-minute decision to extend voting hours raised serious questions about the fairness of the process.

The dispute centers on a decision by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend voting until 7 p.m. at polling stations that were still open. The decision followed reports of transportation problems affecting voters in parts of the country. Both campaigns had requested extensions in certain areas, although Bolsonaro subsequently argued that the broader implementation of the decision created unequal conditions for voters.

“It is impossible to accept the election results given the circumstances under which these events unfolded,” Bolsonaro said, announcing plans to pursue legal action. He also accused the court of changing the rules during the election, arguing that the decision undermined equal treatment among voters in different regions.

Lula won the runoff by more than 4.4 million votes, receiving more than 64 million votes compared with just under 60 million for Bolsonaro, according to reported results. The margin presents a significant obstacle to Bolsonaro’s effort to overturn the outcome, and his allegations have not established that the election result was affected by fraud.

Trump did not formally endorse either candidate in his remarks and did not present specific evidence proving that the election was rigged. His comments instead focused on the appearance of the process and the importance of elections being conducted in a way that leaves little room for disputes over their legitimacy.

The legal challenge now puts Brazil’s election authorities and courts at the center of a dispute over the voting-hour extension and whether it provides grounds to invalidate the result. Bolsonaro’s effort will test whether the country’s institutions determine that the circumstances justify further legal action or leave Lula’s victory intact.