Brazil, Brazil:
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro “authorized” the transition to a new government on Tuesday, without acknowledging his defeat by left-wing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, 67, broke two days of silence after his wafer-thin loss to Lula on Sunday, sparking protests from his supporters across the country and fueling fears he would not accept the outcome.
In a speech that lasted just over two minutes, the far-right incumbent did not acknowledge his defeat or congratulate Lula on his victory.
Bolsonaro began by thanking the 58 million Brazilians who voted for him, before noting that the roadblocks erected by his supporters across the country “were the result of outrage and a sense of injustice at how the election process was taking place”.
“Peaceful protests will always be welcome,” he said, adding that people should not be hindered from coming and going.
“As president of the republic and as a citizen, I will continue to abide by our constitution,” he said, before handing the podium to his chief of staff Ciro Noguiera, who said Bolsonaro had “approved” the “start of the transition process”.
Lula’s Workers’ Party announced on Tuesday that its vice-president-elect Geraldo Alckmin would lead the transition process that would begin on Thursday. Lula will be inaugurated on January 1 for his third term as president.
– No concession call –
Bolsonaro’s appearance, however succinct, capped two days of tensions over how he would react to such a small loss after months of alleged fraud in the electoral system.
“Anywhere in the world, the defeated president would have called me to acknowledge his defeat,” Lula said Sunday night in his victory speech to a euphoric sea of red-clad supporters in Sao Paulo.
Bolsonaro remained silent even as key allies publicly acknowledged his loss, including the powerful speaker of the House of Commons of Congress, Arthur Lira.
The Federal Highway Police (PRF) on Tuesday reported more than 250 total or partial roadblocks in at least 23 states by Bolsonaro supporters, who tried to disperse them, in some cases with tear gas on protesters.
Protesters wearing the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag, which the outgoing president has adopted as his own, said they would not accept the outcome of the election.
“We do not accept losing what we have won, we want what is on our flag, ‘order and progress’. We do not accept the situation as it is,” 45-year-old Antoniel Almeida told AFP during a protest in Barra Mansa. , Rio de Janeiro.
On Monday evening, Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraes ordered police to lift the blockades immediately. He acted in response to a request from a transport federation complaining that things were going wrong.
– ‘Power of our values’ –
Bolsonaro became the first incumbent president in Brazil not to win re-election in the post-dictatorship era after a four-year term in which he came under fire for his disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which left more than 680,000 dead in Brazil.
He has also been criticized for his vitriolic comments, polarizing style and attacks on democratic institutions and foreign allies.
Bolsonaro used his brief speech to reflect on his tenure, saying that the victory of a majority of right-wing candidates in Congress “shows the strength of our values: God, homeland, family and freedom”.
“Our dreams are more alive than ever. Even in the face of the system, we have overcome a pandemic and the consequences of a war,” said Bolsonaro, referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine, which is reverberating around the world with rising prices and concerns. . of a major food crisis. “I was always labeled undemocratic and unlike my accusers, I always played within the confines of the constitution.”
– Lula goes to work –
The post-election drama follows a dirty and divisive election campaign between Bolsonaro and Lula, who returns to office in a dramatic comeback.
Lula, Brazil’s president between 2003 and 2010, plunged into disgrace in a corruption scandal that landed him in prison before his conviction was thrown out due to bias on the part of the leading judge. However, he was not acquitted.
The election results showed how polarized the country is between the two very different leaders.
Lula scored 50.9 percent against Bolsonaro’s 49.1 percent – the smallest margin in Brazil’s modern history.
With a huge to-do list, Lula sprang into action, met Argentine President Alberto Fernandez in Sao Paulo, and made a series of phone calls with US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and others .
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
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