Bolsonaro wants to “respect the constitution” after Brazil’s election defeat

Brazil’s President Bolsonaro, who was voted out, spoke publicly for the first time since his defeat. He did not comment on the electoral defeat in his speech – but declared that he would follow the rules of the Constitution.

Two days after his defeat in the elections in Brazil, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro made his first public statement. However, during the brief speech in Brasilia he did not state whether he recognized the victory of his rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “I want to thank the 58 million Brazilians who voted for me on 30 October,” Bolsonaro said.

He insisted on respecting the constitution and following its rules “as a president and a citizen”. His chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, later said that Bolsonaro had tasked him with starting the transition process to the successor government.

very close election results

In his speech, Bolsonaro also mentioned his supporters, who have blocked several highways across the country in recent days to protest Lula’s election victory. “The current protests are the result of resentment and a sense of injustice at the way the electoral process is being conducted,” Bolsonaro said. “Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcomed.”

Bolsonaro was in the presidential election on Sunday much less than his challenger Lula, According to the Electoral Office, Lula received 50.9 percent of the vote in the runoff, while Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent of the vote. This is the closest result of a presidential election in Brazil’s recent history.

Even before the vote, Bolsonaro had repeatedly expressed doubts about the electoral system and indicated that he could not recognize the outcome. After the election, he remained silent, initially fueling speculation that he might indeed contest the result.

Allies admit defeat

Prior to Bolsonaro’s appearance in Brasilia, his communications minister, Fabio Faria, had made it clear that the ousted head of state did not want to doubt the election result. According to media reports, several ministers and advisers had already tried to persuade Bolsonaro to give up.

His ally, the powerful parliamentary speaker Artur Lira, has already acknowledged Bolsonaro’s defeat. The President of the Supreme Electoral Court, Alexandre de Moraes, had already informed both Lula and Bolsonaro of the election results by telephone on election night. “The result was declared and accepted,” Moraes said.

greetings from abroad

Several governments abroad also viewed the election results as a matter of fact: about 90 governments congratulated Lula on his election victory, as reported by the news portal UOL. According to Lula’s team, preparations are already underway to change the government – ​​without the help of a head of state if necessary.