Bolsonaro vows to 'follow constitution' in first speech after defeat

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Nov 2022 00:12

For the first time in two days, Bolsonaro appears before reporters at the Alvorada palace in the capital Brasília and tells journalists, "Our dreams are more alive than ever.”

Defeated Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil's former President, Jair Bolsonaro, broke his two-day silence today to speak about Sunday's presidential elections.

In one the most important elections in Brazil's history, Bolsonaro lost Sunday's Presidential runoff securing 49.1% of the votes, to Lula da Silva who won the majority by 50.9%.

But Bolsonaro had not uttered any words since this humiliating defeat, with media reports suggesting that the far-right was possibly consumed by anger and disbelief - until now

Bolsonaro appeared before reporters on Tuesday afternoon at the Alvorada palace in the capital Brasília and told journalists, "Our dreams are more alive than ever.”

BOLSONARO: ‘It is an honor to be the leader of millions of Brazilians, who like me, defend economic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech, honesty and the green and yellow colors of our flag.’#Brazil #Eleicoes2022 pic.twitter.com/bLgy9ZUMmB
— Direto da América (Brazil Special Reporting) (@DiretoDaAmerica) November 1, 2022

However, Bolsonaro did not congratulate da Silva on his victory nor said he accepted the result.

He thanked the 58 million voters who had voted for him and said, “As president and as a citizen I will continue to follow all the commandments of our constitution."

Bolsonaro also alluded to claims that the elections were unfair, and as a result, the protests which followed the elections were the result of "indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out."

"Peaceful protests will always be welcome," Bolsonaro said, adding that "our methods cannot be those of the left," which include "invasion of private property, destruction of property, and restrictions on the right to come and go," as per his claims.

Following the issue of his address, his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira said his administration would not oppose the electoral results.

"President Jair Bolsonaro … has authorized me that when provoked according to the law we will begin the transition process," he said.

Yesterday, Brazilian media reported that truck drivers supporting Jair Bolsonaro organized over 100 protests today across 18 Brazilian states.

According to the Brazilian news portal G1, the protests involved blocking roads in 18 states which include Bahia, Espirito Santo, Goias, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rondonia, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Tocantins, Amazonas, Acre, Roraima, and Maranhao.

The police were taking measures to restore traffic, yet some highways have been completely blocked by demonstrators.

Some exceptions were however made for certain cars and emergency vehicles to evade the roadblocks.

Truckers in Brazil are now blocking highways in protest of the election results. Bolsonaro has yet to concede and this could potentially get ugly.
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— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@JoshuaPHilll) November 1, 2022