Brazil's incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro broke his silence on Tuesday to state that he would "follow the Constitution" but refused to explicitly concede defeat, fuelling speculations that he won't go quietly.
The chances of a Trump-like insurrection hovers as Bolsonaro, while thanking voters who had cast their ballots for him, stopped short of acknowledging defeat or even mentioning the victory of his rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The far right-wing leader also seemed to support the protest of his supporters who are spilling to the streets, stating "the current popular movements are the product of indignation and feelings of injustice with the electoral process."
"Peaceful protests are always welcome, but we cannot adopt the methods of the left, who have always harmed the population by invading and destroying property and restricting free movement," he said.
After Bolsonaro left the podium at the Alvorada palace in the capital Brasília without taking questions, his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira stepped in to say that the "process of transition" of power would begin.
This unusual way of letting his minister be the one to announce the transition could also be a ruse to buy time without pressure as he consolidates the rest of the insurrection. Much to the dismay of Bolsonaro, world leaders were quick to congratulate Lula and Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court too declared leftist Lula the next president.
But, no so much the hardcore supporters of Bolsonaro. They spilled out to streets after news of their leader's defeat broke out. Latest reports from Brazil claim truck drivers and protestors have blocked roads at 267 points across the country, as they wait for the army to intervene. This is despite the country's Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordering the police to clear the roadblocks immediately.
Though the orders and the hefty fines of US$ 7000 to 20,000 may help unblock the roads to a huge extend, it has to be seen whether the trucks will move to deliver foods all over the country in the coming days, or would be parked to wait for instructions from Bolsonaro.
The bid by police to clear all of them have failed, with more than 250 still in place. Ironically, some of the Polícia Rodoviária Federal members too have joined the protests, expressing support for the wave of golpista roadblocks.
Another coup d'état?
Social media footages show garrisons of soldiers on the streets, as videos of tanks roll down amid cheering Bolsonaro supporters. This has sparked fears fears of another military takeover by Bolsonaro, a former army captain.
He had earlier too threatened to bring in Article 142, much like the 1964 coup that overthrew the reformist government of President João Goulart and established an authoritarian regime controlled by the armed forces that lasted until 1985.
His statement that he would "respect the constitution" could also suggest that he could be laying the foundations for another 1964-like coup by activating the Law of Guarantee of Order ,the main law on the armed forces in Brazil today.
It guarentees the President the right to deploy Armed Forces once the instruments intended for the preservation of public order and of the safety of persons have been exhausted.
While the military has not yet responded to the situation, reports say aviation warning lights at the palace are on since last night. This only happenes when there is a helicopter coming or going since it is a restricted air space.
(With inputs from Milan Sime Martinic)
