Bolsonaro Breaks His Silence – And Doesn’t Say A Word About His Defeat First Edition Of US Constitution Could Bring Millions At Auction

What did Bolsonaro say?

Bolsonaro addressed the media and the public with a short speech at his residence in the capital Brasília. He explained:

Bolsonaro did not expressly acknowledge and acknowledge the defeat to Lula in his speech, but at least he confessed that he did not want to hinder the transfer of government affairs to the people of Lula by adhering to the constitution. He also commented on the roadblocks and demonstrations of his supporters and renewed his doubts about the correctness of the electoral process:

The Inter-American Union of Electoral Authorities observer mission, meanwhile, called the election free, fair and transparent and found no evidence of manipulation.

Bolsonaro’s statement:

What do Bolsonaro’s words mean?

With his statements, Bolsonaro at least partially removes the existing escalation potential of the heated mood in the country. In the run-up to the elections and during the period of Bolsonaro’s silence, there were fears that the right-wing conservative head of state would not recognize defeat and that a coup d’état could even take place.

Bolsonaro had repeatedly indicated that there could be electoral fraud and that he would not recognize the result of the vote. After the results were announced, numerous Bolsonaro supporters took to the streets, causing riots with roadblocks. Bolsonaro’s statement should now defuse the situation.

Because outside the crowd, the 67-year-old seems to actually admit defeat. At least that’s how the country’s judiciary sees it, as Judge Luiz Edson Fachin told TV station Globo after meeting Bolsonaro:

The president of the Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, had already informed both Lula and Bolsonaro of the results by telephone on election night. “The result has been announced and accepted,” said Moraes.

Brazil’s chief of staff Ciro Nogueira also confirmed Bolsonaro’s behind-the-scenes confession: “President Jair Bolsonaro has authorized us by law to initiate the process of change of government,” Nogueira said.

Either way, the transfer of power would be regulated by law and no approval from the outgoing government would be necessary at all.

What role did Bolsonaro’s allies play?

Despite Bolsonaro’s silence after the results were announced, it soon became clear that the president would not have had much support if he had not actually acknowledged the results. Many of his allies spoke out against him.

According to reports, Bolsonaro’s advisers have made it clear to him in lengthy talks in recent days that it would hardly be possible to question the election results. Many of the allies, including powerful parliament speaker Artur Lira, acknowledged Bolsonaro’s defeat in advance. Influential congressman and staunch Bolsonaro supporter Carla Zambelli also announced early on that she would be “the toughest opposition Lula could ever imagine”, and also admitted her defeat.

In addition, many governments abroad also took the election results as a fact: nearly 90 governments congratulated Lula on his election victory, reports the news portal UOL.

How are you from here?

At the operational level, the change of power has already started. According to media reports, Cabinet Secretary Nogueira has already spoken with Lula’s head of communications, Edinho Silva. In addition, Lula’s future vice president Geraldo Alckmin called Bolsonaro’s deputy Hamilton Mourão. Lula is expected to take office on January 1, 2023.

Lula received 50.9 percent of the vote in Sunday’s tight second round, Bolsonaro got 49.1 percent. Elections hadn’t been this close since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985.

(con/dab/sda/dpa)