BRASILIA/SAO PAULO –
Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday prevented conceding defeat in his first public remarks since shedding Sunday’s election, saying protests since then have been the fruit of “indignation and a way of injustice” over the vote.
His chief of employees, Ciro Nogueira, talking after Bolsonaro’s transient public handle, mentioned Bolsonaro had approved him to begin the transition course of with representatives of leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
It took Bolsonaro greater than 44 hours to make his first public remarks because the election was determined by electoral authorities, making him the primary Brazilian president to lose a re-election bid. He has nonetheless not spoken with Lula.
Amid his silence, supporters blocked highways to protest his defeat, with some calling for a navy coup to cease former President Lula from returning to energy. Bolsonaro’s delay in recognizing Lula’s election raised concern that he would contest the slender results of the election.
In a nationwide handle on Tuesday that lasted just some minutes, Bolsonaro thanked Brazilians who voted for him and reiterated that he would comply with the nation’s structure, which stipulates a transition of energy on Jan. 1.
He referred to the demonstrations as a “well-liked motion” and mentioned they need to keep away from destroying property or “impeding the best to come and go.”
That might not be sufficient to defuse the protests throughout Brazil by small teams of his supporters, which have begun to trigger financial disruptions draw calls from farm and retail teams for Bolsonaro to begin a transition.
Close political allies, together with his chief of employees and Vice President Hamilton Mourao, have begun to make contact with the Lula camp to talk about a transition. Others, together with the speaker of the decrease home of Congress, referred to as on the Bolsonaro authorities to respect the election consequence.
The highly effective agricultural foyer CNA, representing farmers who have been vital marketing campaign donors for Bolsonaro, mentioned it was prepared for conversations with the incoming authorities, which can take workplace on Jan. 1.
Before Sunday’s vote, Bolsonaro repeatedly made baseless claims the electoral system was open to fraud and accused electoral authorities of favouring his leftist adversary.
Lula’s victory represents a surprising comeback for the 77-year-old former metalworker, spent 19 months in jail for corruption convictions earlier than they have been annulled final 12 months.
Lula has vowed to overturn a lot of Bolsonaro’s insurance policies, together with pro-gun measures and weak safety of the Amazon rainforest.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Marcela Ayres and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Brian Ellsworth, Nayara Figuereido and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; enhancing by Brad Haynes, Paul Simao and Alistair Bell)