Bolsonaro may have left Brazil before Lula's inauguration: Officials

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Dec 2022 10:09
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Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro ditches another official event after his presidential loss.

President Jair Bolsonaro in a conference on October 29, 2022 (AP)

The office of Brazil's Vice President has declared him an acting president, implying that President Jair Bolsonaro has left the country and will break tradition by skipping his political rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's, inauguration on Sunday.

VP Gen. Hamilton Mourao's press office confirmed to journalists he was acting as president. The handoff of power to the vice president occurs whenever Brazil’s president travels abroad.

According to the Friday edition of the official gazette, Bolsonaro is on his way to Florida, and several officials have been granted permission to accompany "the future ex-president" to Miami between January 1 and January 30, to offer "advice, security, and personal support."

Flight tracking websites revealed that the Brazilian military’s official airplane left the capital, Brasilia, around 2 pm for Orlando.

In Bolsonaro’s absence, it is not clear who will hand over the presidential sash to Lula on Sunday, with Mourao’s press office saying this is not part of the vice president’s duties.

Rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the win in the runoff elections on October 30, and after Bolsonaro mysteriously disappeared for weeks, he broke his eerie silence, saying, "I've been silent for practically 40 days. It hurts, it hurts my soul. I have always been a happy person among you, even risking my life among the people."

In response to his defeat, his supporters not only blocked main roads but set up protests in front of military barracks in an attempt to influence the military into preventing Lula from taking office on January 1, which is when Bolsonaro will step down.

Skipping the inauguration won't be the first formal event he skips. He skipped official duties like the G20 summit that took place in Bali in November while leaving his VP to carry out routine tasks like accepting new ambassadors' credentials.