Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has broken his silence since his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election.
He thanked the voters who voted for him but did not admit defeat.
But he didn’t fight the outcome, as some feared he would.
His chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, speaking after Mr Bolsonaro’s brief statement, said a “process of transition” of power would begin.
Although Mr Bolsonaro himself did not concede defeat in his own words, Brazil’s Supreme Court issued a statement shortly after his speech saying that by authorizing the transfer of power, he had conceded the election result. has taken.
In the past, the president’s belligerent rhetoric – such as “only God” can remove him from office – meant that his public appearances were eagerly awaited.
Before the election, he had repeatedly expressed baseless doubts on the voting system.
When he finally appeared in public, 44 hours after the election results were announced, Mr. Bolsonaro’s statement lasted just two minutes and he took no questions from the assembled journalists.
In a message to his supporters, Mr Bolsonaro said “our dreams live on as always”.
He reiterated the values ​​he says he and his party stand for – “God, fatherland, family and freedom” – and insisted he would continue to fight for “order and development”. The words are emblazoned on the flag of Brazil.
He didn’t mention Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his fierce rival who beat him outright on Sunday. Breaking with tradition, Mr Bolsonaro has yet to call out the man who defeated him in the election.
Mr Bolsonaro’s staunch supporters – who refuse to believe he has lost – have set up hundreds of barricades in all but two of Brazil’s states.
In his speech, Mr Bolsonaro referred to them as “current popular movements” and said they were “the fruit of anger and a sense of injustice at how the electoral process unfolded”.
He added that “peaceful protests” would always be welcomed, but that “our methods cannot be the same as those used by the left, which always harm the population, such as invading lands.” , trespassing on property and obstructing the coming right.” And go”.
The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, said earlier Tuesday that the roadblocks were a “threat to national security” and ordered them cleared.
But police have struggled to remove them all, with more than 250 still at large.
The disruptions are causing considerable disruption and affecting the food supply chain.
They began shortly after Brazilian election officials announced Lula’s narrow victory in the presidential runoff. With all votes counted, Lula had 50.9% of the valid votes cast compared to Mr Bolsonaro’s 49.1%.
Congratulation for Lula immediately began pouring in from around the world, with US President Biden saying the win came “after a free, fair and credible election”.
Mr. Bolsonaro, normally an avid user of social media, has remained silent and out of the public eye. But he looked increasingly isolated as even his closest allies congratulated Lula.
Arthur Lera, the powerful speaker of the lower house of Congress, sent a strong message when he said that “the will of the majority, as expressed in elections, can never be contested”.
But some of Bolsonaro’s supporters appeared emboldened by his silence.
“We will not accept to lose what we have gained, we want what is written on our flag, ‘order and progress,'” one protester in Rio de Janeiro told JEE News. “We will not accept the situation as it is,” the person added.
