The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, this Tuesday at Alvorada Palace, his residence in Brasilia, during his first speech after losing Sunday’s election Joédson Alves (EFE)
The intervention with which Brazil’s President Jair Messias Bolsonaro broke his silence 45 hours after the lost election on Sunday lasted two minutes. The far right has not explicitly admitted his defeat or the results; only implicit. Nor did he mention the winner, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but he did state: “I will continue to fulfill the mandates of the Constitution.” As soon as the President left the lectern and the room, the Minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, took the floor to say that the Head of State had authorized him to proceed with the transfer of power.
That said, it was staged with a very moderate speech so as not to lose face in front of its most radical supporters, but neither does it prevent beginning the legal process opened for a new government to take power. Under intense pressure from allies, ministers and officials from other institutions, Bolsonaro was reluctant to acknowledge the results. He has finally performed at his residence, the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, after captivating his compatriots, law firms and the press from around the world.
Nor was it in his power to prevent the broadcast, as the election results are official as the Supreme Electoral Court announced them on Sunday night: 50.9% of the vote for Lula and 49.1% for Bolsonaro, the narrowest victory in Brazilian history . The verdict of the electronic ballot box was immediately recognized by the presidents of the two legislative chambers and the Bolsonaro team did not resort to legal channels. Fears of a Trump-like drift dissipate. The staff of the winner and the Bolsonaro cabinet want to start transferring powers this Wednesday.
In this balancing act of Brazilian politics, where gestures and timing are key, the Supreme Court tweeted shortly afterward emphasizing the importance of the President appearing and having “determined the start of the transition and recognized the result at the end of the elections .
Bolsonaro has also referred, in very measured terms, to the roadblocks implemented by some of his most august supporters. He first declared that peaceful protests “are welcome” but not “the methods of the left like land invasions,” culminating in the mobilizations being “the result of indignation and injustice.”
The President has stressed that despite his defeat in the elections, he received strong support. And he made it clear that the extreme right came to Brazil by force and will stay for the time being, even if he has to relinquish power.
Subscribe to EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.
Subscribe to
Bolsonaro not only thanked his 58 million voters, but also emphasized that “the right has really emerged in our country”. This was demonstrated in the first-round election of a new Congress on October 2, when Bolsonaro and his conservative and opportunist allies won a majority of the seats. “Our solid representation in Congress shows the strength of our values: God, country, family and liberty,” he said.
That ends months of tension leading up to the elections and nearly two days after over the far-right’s stance in the face of a hypothetical defeat that would occur at 8 p.m. Sunday. The result was so close that it was only confirmed with 98% questioning.
Bolsonaro must have been shocked as it is the first time in his career that he has lost an election. Since he embarked on a political career as an MP after being asked to leave the army through the back door, Bolsonaro and his three adult children had consecutively won every election they had contested.
Subscribe to the newsletter here THE COUNTRY America and get all the informative keys on the current situation in the region.