Bolsonara called the protests the fruit of “indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out”. Source: Palácio do Planalto, Flickr.
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro publicly spoke for the first time following his election defeat after almost two days of silence.
The far-right president lost what was widely regarded as Brazil’s most important election in decades to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The outcome marked the first time a Brazilian president lost a re-election bid.
Bolsonaro finally appeared briefly in front of reporters to make his first public remarks, 44 hours after the election concluded, at the Alvorada palace in Brasília. He has avoided conceding his defeat but the transition is set to begin.
There was growing outrage over his choice to stay quiet after the election was decided. During his silence, supporters of Bolsonaro have been protesting his defeat. Highways have been blocked with trucks and tires and some are calling for a military coup to deny Lula’s election victory.
Bolsonaro said these protests are the fruit of “indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out”.
He said “peaceful protests will always be welcome” but added that destruction and “impeding the right to come and go” is not acceptable.
The delay in recognising Lula’s win was also raising fears that Bolsonaro would not recognise it and that the narrow result of the election will be contested. Prior to Sunday’s vote, he had also made baseless claims that the election was open to fraud and levied accusations at electoral authorities of favouring his opponent.
But after he finished speaking, Bolsonaro’s chief of staff Ciro Nogueira indicated the administration will not contest the election result.
“President Jair Bolsonaro … has authorized me that when provoked according to the law we will begin the transition process,” he said.
Lula has promised he will overturn many of his predecessor’s policies after making his comeback to return to the presidency.
After leaving power, observers believe Bolsonaro could be facing multiple investigations and charges relating to fake news, corruption, anti-democratic behaviour, and his handling of the pandemic. 700,000 people in Brazil died from Covid.
He was reportedly in talks on Tuesday night with members of the supreme court to negotiate. Prominent journalist Guilherme Amado said he plans to request neither he nor family members be persecuted when he steps down.
