Published on: 01/11/2022 – 21:14
Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spoke Tuesday, November 1, for the first time since announcing his loss to Lula in the second round of the presidential election on Sunday, October 30.
Jair Bolsonaro vowed on Tuesday to “respect the constitution as president” of Brazil, breaking his silence two days after his electoral defeat by left-wing leader Lula, whose victory he does not recognize. After a very brief speech by the outgoing President at the Presidential Palace, his chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, indicated that he had “authorized the transition”.
After a narrow loss to Lula on Sunday (49.1 percent versus 50.9 percent), the incumbent head of state isolates himself at his Alvorada official residence in Brasilia until the handover on January 1. He went to the Planalto Palace, the seat of the presidency, on Monday morning and then returned to his residence in the afternoon without giving the slightest explanation, an AFP photographer noted.
Tense transition period
That heavy silence, which Lula expressed “concern” about on Sunday night, reminded many Brazilians that Jair Bolsonaro had repeatedly threatened not to recognize the verdict of the ballot box if he lost. Lula had already foreseen difficulties, wishing on Sunday that “the (outgoing) government is civilized” and understands that “it is necessary to do a good handover of power”.
The transition period began tensely as truckers and pro-Bolsonaro protesters blocked freeways in at least 11 states across the country on Monday, burning tires and parking vehicles in the middle of the street to halt traffic. Dressed in the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag – which Jair Bolsonaro made his own – protesters waved pro-Bolsonaro signs and sang the national anthem before being gradually dispersed by authorities in certain regions.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro condemned these roadblocks that “prevent freedom of movement” and called for demonstrations in his support to be “peaceful”, yet on Tuesday assessed them as “the result of a sense of outrage and injustice”.
(With AFP)