Brazilian President Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede Defeat

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Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro failed to concede defeat to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in his first public remarks since losing Sunday’s election.

In a nationwide address today that lasted just a few minutes, Bolsonaro thanked Brazilians who voted for him.

He didn’t mention election results, but reiterated that he would follow the country’s constitution, which stipulates a transition of power on January 1.

He said that protests since then were the fruit of “indignation and a sense of injustice” over the vote and referred to the demonstrations as a “popular movement” saying they should avoid destroying property or “impeding the right to come and go.”

“I have always been labeled as anti-democratic and, unlike my accusers, I have always played within the four lines of the constitution,” Bolsonaro, flanked by more than a dozen ministers and allies, told reporters in the official residence in capital Brasilia.

He added, “Peaceful protests will always be welcome. But our methods must not be those of the left, which always harm the population, like invading property… and impeding the right to come and go.”

His chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, speaking after Bolsonaro’s brief public address, said they would begin the process of a transition to Lula’s government. 

It took Bolsonaro more than 44 hours to make his first public remarks since the election was decided by electoral authorities, making him the first Brazilian president to lose a re-election bid. He has still not spoken with Lula.

Amid his silence, supporters blocked highways to protest his defeat, with some calling for a military coup to stop former President Lula from returning to power.

Bolsonaro’s delay in recognizing Lula’s election raised fear that he would contest the narrow result of the election.

The presidential address may defuse protests by his angry supporters who have blocked highways in many states across Brazil, along with pro-Bolsonaro truckers calling for him to defy the electoral victory of Lula. 

Bolsonaro had remained silent after veteran leftist Lula beat him in the election with 50.83 per cent of the vote compared to 49.17 per cent on Sunday night.  

Bolsonaro’s political allies, including his chief of staff have already begun to establish contact with the Lula camp to discuss a transition. 

Some, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, have publicly said the Bolsonaro government should respect the election result.

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