BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Portal) – Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday avoided acknowledging defeat in his first public statements since Sunday’s election loss, saying the protests since then have been the fruit of “outrage and a sense of injustice ‘ about The Choice.
His chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, said after Bolsonaro’s brief public address that Bolsonaro had authorized him to start the transition process with representatives of the left, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro took more than 44 hours to make his first public statement since the election was decided by the electoral authorities, making him the first Brazilian president to lose a re-election bid. He still hasn’t spoken to Lula.
Amid his silence, supporters blocked highways to protest his defeat and some called for a military coup to prevent former President Lula from returning to power. Bolsonaro’s delay in recognizing Lula’s election fueled fears he would contest the close election result.
In a national speech that lasted only a few minutes on Tuesday, Bolsonaro thanked the Brazilians who voted for him and reiterated that he will abide by the country’s constitution, which provides for a January 1 transfer of power.
He described the demonstrations as a “popular movement” and said they should avoid destroying property or “interfering with the right to come and go”.
[1/13] Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro delivers a press statement at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 1, 2022. Portal/Adriano Machado
That may not be enough to defuse protests by small groups of his supporters across Brazil, which have begun causing economic disruption and are drawing calls from farm and retail groups for Bolsonaro to start a transition.
Close political allies, including his chief of staff and Vice President Hamilton Mourao, have begun reaching out to the Lula camp to discuss a transition. Others, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, urged the Bolsonaro government to respect the election result.
Powerful agriculture lobby CNA, which represents farmers who have been key campaign donors to Bolsonaro, said it was ready for talks with the new government, which will take office on January 1.
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Bolsonaro made repeated unfounded claims that the electoral system was vulnerable to fraud and accused the electoral authorities of favoring his left-wing opponent.
Lula’s win marks a stunning comeback for the 77-year-old former metalworker, who spent 19 months in prison on corruption convictions before they were overturned last year.
Lula has vowed to overturn many of Bolsonaro’s policies, including gun-friendly measures and weak protection of the Amazon rainforest.
Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Marcela Ayres and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Brian Ellsworth, Nayara Figuereido and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Edited by Brad Haynes, Paul Simao and Alistair Bell
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.