“Give my blood” – Outgoing Brazilian president Bolsonaro takes stock Multiple countries order corona test upon entry from China

Two days before the end of his term in office, outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has assessed his term in office quite positively. The right-wing head of state said in a video message published Friday that he had boosted the economy, liberalized gun laws and lowered fuel prices. “Am I going to say I was the best president in the world? I didn’t. But I gave my blood.” He also referred to the difficult circumstances caused by the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine during his tenure.

The left-wing ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) triumphed against Bolsonaro in the second round of the October elections. On Sunday, he will become the first democratically elected head of state to serve a third term. So far, Bolsonaro has not explicitly acknowledged his opponent’s electoral victory. Lula’s government is already “broken,” Bolsonaro said in the video message. His successor will struggle with the now more conservative Congress, and parts of the population who voted for Lula now regret it.

Contrary to custom, Bolsonaro is unlikely to participate in the handover on New Year’s Day, according to observers. He may even travel abroad. His employees, who are still entitled to him at the end of his term and who will be paid from taxpayers’ money, have already had travel to the US approved for all of January.

Recently, radical Bolsonaro supporters had encamped in front of barracks and called for military intervention against the future president’s government. Bolsonaro said in his speech that he had nothing to do with it. He also condemned a failed bomb attack by one of his sympathizers as an act of terrorism. (sda/dpa)