Outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro is set to break his silence following his defeat in Brazil’s presidential election, amid doubts over whether the far-right nationalist will accept the victory of his leftist rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Mr Bolsonaro will speak to the nation later tonight and his aides were suggesting he read a prepared statement, said Claudio Cajado, the head of a party allied to Mr Bolsonaro. It was not clear if Mr Bolsonaro would concede defeat, as Mr Cajado said some advisers were encouraging him to do.
Mr Lula’s win represents a comeback for the 77-year-old former metalworker, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010 but then spent time in prison for corruption convictions that were later annulled.
Mr Bolsonaro, who left his residence this morning and headed to the presidential palace, has still not made any public comments. But prior to the vote he repeatedly made baseless claims the electoral system was open to fraud.
His eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, tweeted thanks to his father’s supporters, and said: “Let’s raise our heads and not give up on our Brazil! God is in charge!”
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers blocked highways across Brazil to protest Mr Lula’s victory, with some of them calling for a military coup. Truckers, one of Bolsonaro’s key constituencies, have been known to cause economic chaos in top food exporter Brazil when they shut down highways.
The roadblocks, which authorities said had reached 12 Brazilian states in the morning, had not yet disrupted grain exports but could do so if they continued, a key farm state lobby warned.
Mr Lula will now return for an unprecedented third term at the helm of Latin America’s biggest economy on 1 January.
After a dirty, divisive campaign that left the country of 215 million people split in two, the 77-year-old leftist icon now faces a long list of challenges.
These include a struggling economy, rampant destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and an energised and angry far-right.
Despite the rocky aftermath of the razor-thin run-off election, markets reacted favourably: after dipping slightly, stocks were up 1.2% in mid-morning trading in Sao Paulo, and the Brazilian real gained more than 2% against the dollar.
“Lula remains likely to begin his term on a moderate note on economic policy, but risks over economic management will grow over time given a short honeymoon and a tough public opinion environment,” the Eurasia Group consultancy said in a note.
It downplayed the risk of a major power grab by Bolsonaro.
“While the risk of near-term protests remains high, the risk of a serious institutional crisis remains very low,” it said.
Lula, who vowed in his victory speech to restore Brazil’s damaged image on the international stage, will meet Argentine President Alberto Fernandez in Sao Paulo, officials said.
There was meanwhile radio silence from Mr Bolsonaro.
AFP journalists said the former army captain left his official residence without comment this morning for the presidential offices, where he was photographed walking down a corridor with a grim face.
There are fears Mr Bolsonaro, 67, could attempt a Brazilian version of the Capitol riots that rocked the US after his political role model, former US president Donald Trump, refused to accept his election defeat in 2020.
But he may find himself isolated.
Some key Bolsonaro allies have publicly recognised his loss, including the powerful speaker of the lower house of Congress, Arthur Lira.
International leaders’ congratulations for Lula poured in within hours, sometimes minutes.
The leaders of the US, China, India, France, Britain, South Africa and numerous others sent Lula their congrats.
US President Joe Biden reacted almost immediately, calling the elections “free, fair and credible.”
President Michael D Higgins also congratulated Mr Lula on his victory and invited him to visit Ireland.
In a letter sent to president-elect Lula, Mr Higgins said: “I look forward very much to continuing our excellent co-operation once you take office, and building on our warm and vibrant relations.”
The European Union’s leadership voiced hope the result would lead to ratification of a trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur, long stalled over concerns about rampant deforestation in the Amazon under Mr Bolsonaro.
Norway announced it would resume paying nearly $500 million in aid for protecting the world’s biggest rainforest, which it halted in 2019 over Mr Bolsonaro’s policies.
“We had a head-on collision with Bolsonaro, whose approach was diametrically opposed (to Lula’s) when it came to deforestation,” said Norwegian Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Deep divisions
Mr Lula criticised his rival last night for not acknowledging the result.
“Anyplace else in the world, the defeated president would have called me to recognize his defeat,” he said in his victory speech to a euphoric sea of red-clad supporters in Sao Paulo.
The ex-metalworker vowed to work for “peace and unity” in the divided nation.
“The Brazilian people don’t want to fight anymore,” he said.
Easier said than done, according to political analysts.
“It was a very narrow victory … (that left) half the population unhappy,” said political scientist Leandro Consentino of Insper university in Sao Paulo.
“Lula will have to show a lot of political skill to pacify the country.”
Bolsonaro expected to break silence after Lula victory
Source: Viral Trends Report
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