- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he will “continue to execute all the precepts of our constitution”.
- The event looked to indicate his willingness to participate with the power transfer.
- Chief of staff Ciro Nogueira said he would work with the incoming government.
After days of silence, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated Tuesday at the presidential palace in Brasilia that he will “continue to execute all the precepts of our constitution.”
Despite not conceding defeat, the event looked to indicate his willingness to participate with the power transfer.
Chief of staff Ciro Nogueira took the podium after the President and said he would work with the incoming government and wait for Lula da Silva’s transition team to complete the handover.
“President Jair Messias Bolsonaro allowed me, when it is right, based on the law, to start the transition,” Nogueira stated.
Bolsonaro’s brief address didn’t dispute the poll result. He praised voters and criticized detractors. “I have always been termed undemocratic and, unlike my detractors, I have always played inside the four boundaries of the constitution,” he remarked.
According to the election authority, the President-elect received more over 60 million votes, beating his 2006 record by almost two million.
After making false charges about election fraud before the vote, Bolsonaro’s silence raised concerns that he would not participate with the power transition.
Experts questioned why he didn’t concede or fight the election in his brief Tuesday speech.
Bolsonaro wants to believe he was cheated and lost. “He wants to show power and in this movement, acknowledging you lost is to show weakness,” Americas Quarterly editor Brian Winter told CNN.
Winter said Bolsonaro “basically prepares the stage today for a very orderly transition” by promising to respect the Constitution and opposing violence at protests.
Bolsonaro was likely considering his movement’s long-term future, according to Wilson Institute Brazil Center senior advisor Bruna Santos.
“Bolsonarismo is a formidable opposition force and got much stronger after this election despite Bolsonaro’s loss,” she said.
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party boosted its Senate representation from seven to 14 and expanded its lower house representation from 76 to 99 in the recent legislative elections. Conservatives will rule the next legislature despite Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party’s increased presence in both houses.
Legislators and Bolsonaro loyalists have recognized Lula da Silva’s win. Bolsonaro ally Arthur Lira and Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco welcomed Lula da Silva and his supporters.
Bolsonaro’s address, which called protests “the outcome of fury and a feeling of unfairness at how the electoral process took place,” encouraged some pro-Bolsonaro Telegram groups.
CNN observed fans praising Bolsonaro for not conceding and supporting protests.
He denied defeat! No greeting! Reaffirmed his Constitutional respect! “Let’s go out to the streets, more than ever, safe and certain!” one person said.
Since Sunday, protesters have disrupted roadways. Protesters stopped 267 Brazilian roadways on Tuesday morning, according to highway police.
After social media videos showed highway police personnel telling protestors they would not disturb or shut down their marches, the agency was criticized in Brazil.
Highway police executive director Marco Antonio de Barros said cleaning the roads was a “difficult operation” at a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, Lula da Silva’s Worker’s Party chairman Gleisi Hoffman declared protesters would not impede the power handover. “We trust Brazilian institutions,” she stated.
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