In his first public appearance after the election, however, Jair Bolsonaro avoids publicly admitting his defeat. His chief of staff announces that the affairs of state will be handed over to the winner of the election.
Barely 48 hours after the elections in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro appeared before the press. In a short speech he thanked his voters and promised to abide by the constitution. “I want to thank the 58 million Brazilians who voted for me on October 30,” Bolsonaro said at his residence in Brasília. “As President and as a citizen, I will continue to fulfill all the requirements of our Constitution.”
Bolsonaro did not mention his defeat in the elections, in which he narrowly lost 49.1 percent to his challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Instead, he issued an invitation to protest: “Peaceful demonstrations are always welcome,” he said at the end.
However, Bolsonaro’s head of cabinet, Ciro Nogueira, said on Tuesday after the president’s brief speech that the handover of government affairs to the election winner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would be initiated in accordance with the statutory provisions.
So far there had been doubts as Bolsonaro remained silent after the election. This fueled speculation that he might not recognize the result. Even before the vote, Bolsonaro had repeatedly expressed doubts about the electoral system and indicated that he might not recognize the result.
Observers feared violent protests from his supporters, some of whom were armed, should Bolsonaro question the election result and speak of manipulation. Bolsonaro’s supporters actually blocked lanes of a major highway in protest after the election, as did dozens of other roads and bridges across the country.