Bolsonaro silent on Lula victory, Brazil on edge
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers have been setting up roadblocks throughout the country
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers have been setting up roadblocks throughout the country
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers have been setting up roadblocks throughout the country
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers have been setting up roadblocks throughout the country
Nearly 24 hours after his defeat in Brazil’s run-off election, a minister has said that incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro will not publicly speak about it until Tuesday. Bolsonaro has yet to be seen or heard from. He is yet to concede defeat to rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a Reuters report reads.
Brazil is on the edge. On one hand, Lula supporters have been celebrating in Sao Paolo and other parts of the country, while Bolsonaro maintains silence. While world leaders, including UK's Rishi Sunak and Spain's Pedro Sanchez, have congratulated Lula, there is tension in the air. He won by a slim margin-- Lula received 50.9 per cent of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 49.1 per cent. Allies of Bolsonaro have been encouraging him to concede defeat.
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers have been setting up roadblocks throughout the country to protest Lula's return to power. The roadblocks have, so far not disrupted grain shipments, but agricultural lobbies have warned that it might soon affect export. Some truckers have posted videos calling for a military coup.
The election result makes Bolsonaro the first serving president in history to be voted out. Lula will take over on January 1 2023.
Silas Malafaia, a prominent televangelist, and one of Bolsonaro’s most vocal cheerleaders, tweeted a quote from the British writer CS Lewis. He wrote: “It is not your business to succeed, but to do right. When you have done so the rest lies with God.”
The newly elected pro-Bolsonaro governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, also recognized Lula’s win, “The election result is sovereign,” he said, the Guardian reported.
Another key ally, the lower house leader, Arthur Lira, said: “The will of the majority, expressed at the polls, should never be challenged.”
Bolsonaro's son, Senator for Rio de Janeiro Flavio Bolsonaro tweeted, “Thank you to everyone who helped us rescue patriotism, who prayed, prayed, took to the streets, gave their sweat for the country that is working and gave Bolsonaro the biggest vote of his life! Let's raise our heads and let's not give up on our Brazil! God in charge!” He did not refer to the outcome of the election.