“As President of the Republic and as a citizen, I will continue to fulfill all the imperatives of our Constitution”, he said. However, he did not explicitly admit defeat. His chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, said the president “authorized” the transfer of the post to the winner of the election, Lula.
According to media reports, several ministers and advisers had tried to convince him to admit defeat the day before. Even before the vote, Bolsonaro repeatedly questioned the electoral system and indicated that he might not recognize the result.
However, over time, it became increasingly clear that Bolsonaro would hardly succeed if he questioned the outcome. Many of his allies, including the powerful Speaker of Parliament Artur Lira, have already acknowledged Bolsonaro’s defeat. Numerous governments abroad also saw the election result as a fact: almost 90 governments congratulated Lula on his electoral victory, as reported by the news portal UOL.
Demonstrations as “result of outrage”
Bolsonaro also commented on demonstrations by supporters blocking roads across the country. “First of all, I want to thank the 58 million Brazilians who voted for me on October 30th. The current demonstrations are the result of indignation and a feeling of injustice over the way the electoral process has gone,” he said.
Portal/Adrian Machado Bolsonaro spoke late
“Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcome, but our methods cannot be those of the left, which have always harmed the population, such as the invasion of property, the destruction of cultural assets and the curtailment of the right to come and go”, His Communications Minister Fabio Faria had previously announced that Bolsonaro would not contest the election results.
nationwide lockdowns
The question now is how Bolsonaro’s supporters will react to the message. In protest, they set up roadblocks in several places. Almost all states were affected by the protests as of Tuesday. Barriers were often set up by truck drivers.
As of Tuesday, there were more than 250 partial or total roadblocks in at least 23 of Brazil’s 27 states, the Federal Transit Police (PRF) reported Tuesday morning (local time). According to the Guardian, some truck drivers on social media have called for a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office. “No to Lula!” protesters shouted on a bridge in São Paulo. Several roads were blocked there, including a major connecting road leading to Rio de Janeiro.
Portal Many roads across Brazil were blocked by trucks
On Monday night, the roadblocks around Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo, the country’s largest international airport, caused several flights to be cancelled. A particularly high number of blockades was reported in the southern state of Santa Catarina, where nearly 70% of voters voted for Bolsonaro.
narrow victory
Leftist Lula won Sunday’s presidential election in a dramatically close race against Bolsonaro. Lula won 50.9% of the votes in the second round, Bolsonaro 49.1%. It is the closest presidential election result in Brazil’s recent history.
The president of the Superior Electoral Court, Alexandre de Moraes, had already informed Lula and Bolsonaro about the result by telephone on election night. “The result was announced and accepted,” said Moraes. The Inter-American Union of Electoral Authorities observation mission called the elections free, fair and transparent and found no evidence of manipulation.
Bolsonaro supporters block roads
In protest against leftist politician Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s narrow victory in Brazil’s presidential elections, supporters of far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro are setting up barriers in more and more places.
Judge ordered the end of lockdowns
The feared violence of Bolsonaro supporters did not materialize, but the police restricted access to Praça dos Três Poderes in the capital Brasília this Tuesday. The square houses the President’s seat, the Parliament and the Federal Supreme Court. The restrictions are a precautionary measure in the face of calls for protests on the Internet, he said.
A Supreme Court judge on Monday ordered an “immediate end to the blockade of public roads and highways”. The Federal Traffic Police must take all necessary measures to do so.
If its director general fails to do so, he could be fined or even jailed for “disobedience,” the Supreme Court said in a statement. PRF chief Silvinei Vasques was criticized for asking Bolsonaro for votes in an Instagram post on election day.
Lula prepares for change of government
Lula’s team, in turn, was already preparing for a change of government without the help of the incumbent leader. “I hope normality prevails for the good of Brazil and the Brazilian people. If the president, if Jair Bolsonaro does not want to attend, that’s fine,” said Lula’s Labor Party (PT) leader and campaign manager, Gleisi Hoffmann, to Globo News this Monday.
Portal/Mariana Greif Election winner Lula is already in the starting blocks
At least at the work level, there were first contacts. According to media reports, the head of communications for Lula’s election campaign, Edinho Silva, spoke with Bolsonaro’s chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, on Monday. In addition, Lula’s future vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, called Bolsonaro’s deputy, Hamilton Mourão. “The change of government is regulated by law. This allows us to complete the transfer of power, regardless of the president’s involvement,” PT chief Hoffmann said. Lula will take office on January 1, 2023.