It’s rumbling in Brazil – Bolsonaro is in hiding and won’t say anything else It’s rumbling in Brazil – Bolsonaro is in hiding and won’t say anything more

What is the current situation in Brazil?

After the immediate silence following the defeat of the right-wing conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the race for the Brazilian presidency, the country is now rumbling. The story of electoral fraud put forward by Bolsonaro continued to spread on social media. Videos circulated showing the alleged malfunction of voting machines, the New York Times reported. Meanwhile, Brazilian authorities said there was no evidence of possible electoral fraud.

Nevertheless, sections of Bolsonaro’s supporters have erected more than 200 roadblocks across the country to protest the result. Many of the protesters were truck drivers, Brazilian newspaper “Folha de S. Paulo” reported Monday evening (local time), citing police. Most truckers are Bolsonaro supporters and a powerful profession in Brazil because much of the country’s freight transport is by road.

For example, the blockades affected important traffic axes such as an urban highway in the economic metropolis and a connecting road between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

The blockades caused traffic jams for miles and severely hampered the progress of the Brazilians. According to the “Folha”, some protesters hung Brazilian flags on their trucks and some also insulted elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The feared outbreaks of violence have so far failed to materialize. However, according to “Folha”, there were still riots. The president of the Supreme Court ordered the police to end the blockades.

Where is Jair Bolsonaro – and what does he want?

More than a day has now passed since the election results were announced. Bolsonaro has still not commented on this. The 67-year-old also never appeared in public. His three sons, who are usually very active on social media, have also not made themselves heard.

According to media reports, Bolsonaro spent Monday morning at his home in Brasília and then drove to the presidential residence for talks.

Nevertheless, the ex-president’s silence fuels speculation. In the run-up to the election, Bolsonaro had indicated several times that he would not recognize a result in his favor. Like his US counterpart Donald Trump, he fed the story that the elections could be cheated and his votes could be stolen.

The allegations fueled mistrust of the electoral system among sections of the population who supported him. There were fears that people would take to the streets at the behest of the 67-year-old and riots similar to the storming of the US Capitol could ensue. In the hours after the election, however, it was mostly quiet on the streets of major Brazilian cities. Nevertheless, the roadblocks by Bolsonaro supporters show that there is still potential for escalation.

According to media reports, several ministers and advisers tried to convince Bolsonaro to admit defeat. Some also spoke out publicly and admitted their defeat. The influential right-wing populist congresswoman Carla Zambelli, a staunch admirer of Bolsonaro, wrote on Twitter that she would be “the toughest opposition Lula could ever have imagined”, indirectly admitting defeat.

Until the out-voted president does this himself, the mood in South America’s largest democracy will hardly diminish – Bolsonaro’s silence leaves a looming air of uncertainty. According to Communications Minister Fabio Faria, Bolsonaro will not respond publicly on Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported. The ex-president wants to wait until he has prepared a speech – it is unclear whether a defeat will be recognized.

How does Lula react to the developments?

Meanwhile, election winner Lula and his team are not deterred by the question marks surrounding the defeated opponent. They are preparing for the change of government without the help of the incumbent head of state. “I hope normalcy will prevail for the sake of Brazil and the Brazilian people. If the president, like Jair Bolsonaro, doesn’t want to get involved, that’s okay,” said Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) leader and head of the election. Gleisi Hoffmann, Monday (local time) on TV channel Globo News.

Lula will take office on January 1, 2023, whether Bolsonaro agrees or not.

Meanwhile, Lula received even more congratulations from several heads of state around the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated him, as did Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Lula said on Twitter that he has already spoken to US President Joe Biden by phone. They talked about how to strengthen democracy in Brazil, how to better protect the environment and how to expand relations between the two countries.

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With material from the news agencies SDA and DPA.