Bolsonaro is silent after defeat by Lula in the Brazilian elections

(CNN) – Several after they announced The winner is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Ahead of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro did not publicly acknowledge his defeat.

Bolsonaro’s delay in acknowledging the victory has raised concerns that the current president will not cooperate with the transfer of power. Before The second round of elections this SundayBolsonaro and some of his allies have made baseless allegations about election fraud and unfair treatment by the press.

This Monday, in the first public remarks by a member of Bolsonaro’s inner circle since his defeat, the senator and eldest son of President Flavio Bolsonaro sent a message on Twitter. “Thank you to all who helped us save patriotism, who prayed, prayed, took to the streets, gave their sweat for the country that works and gave Bolsonaro the biggest vote of his life! Let’s raise our heads and let’s not give up our Brazil, God is in charge!

Some Bolsonaro supporters are still waiting to hear from him: Truck drivers closed major roads and highways in at least 12 Brazilian states on Monday, saying results were too close and they wanted to hear from Bolsonaro, according to CNN Brasil.

But experts point out that the franchise, publicly or not, is already out of the hands of the outgoing president.

The Supreme Electoral Court of Brazil is the court that formally certifies the results of elections and sends them to the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, and the State Assemblies.

A press official from the electoral authority told CNN that the results of the vote have been deemed correct since the court’s statement on Sunday. He added that a subsequent court session will officially confirm victory, but no date has been set for that yet.

The President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Alexandre de Moraes, personally contacted Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro on Sunday to inform them of the results and congratulate them on their participation in the democratic process, according to a press release.

De Moraes also said he did not see much scope for contesting the election. “The result has been announced and accepted, and those elected will assume their duties on January 1,” he said in the statement.

The President of the Brazilian Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, publicly congratulated Lula da Silva and his supporters, as did the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lera, a close ally of Bolsonaro.

In addition to foreign leaders from all over the world They also expressed their support for Lula da Silva’s victory and quickly issued statements recognizing him as an elected president.

“I congratulate Luis Inacio Lula da Silva on his election to be the next president of Brazil after a free, fair and credible election,” United States President Joe Biden said after Sunday’s election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his congratulations in a message carried by the official Russian news agency TASS. “The results of the vote confirm his supreme political authority,” he said in the call.

Now, the president-elect’s diplomatic work is already underway, as Lula da Silva will meet Argentina’s president, Alberto Fernandez, one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate him, in Sao Paulo on Monday.

A former refusal to admit defeat in Brazil

At least twice before, Brazil’s leaders refused to participate in the transfer of power.

At the start of the Brazilian Republic in the late 19th century, military marshal Floriano Peixoto did not attend the inauguration of his successor, Prudente de Moraes.

Almost a century later, the last unelected military president, João Battista Figueiredo, refused to install his successor, José Sarney.

In both cases, the boycott was largely symbolic. The same will happen if Bolsonaro refuses to abdicate the presidency in a public statement, according to legal expert Augusto de Arruda Botelho.

“Not recognizing the outcome is a failure from a political point of view, because ultimately it is the electoral court that hands over power to the election winner,” he told CNN.

“[Bolsonaro] He can kick and scream as much as he wants.”

In addition, political scientist Camila Rocha told CNN that Bolsonaro is politically interested in looking like a good loser.

Rocha’s research shows that refusing to acknowledge victory would be detrimental to Bolsonaro’s public image among his supporters. “Even the most extreme Bolsonaro supporter, like those I interviewed last year in Santa Catarina for my research, say that if Bolsonaro lost, he had to accept the outcome,” he told CNN.

“It is therefore very clear that if Bolsonaro refuses to accept Lula’s victory, it could have a negative impact even among his supporters. He will surely be seen as a painful loser,” he added.

Marcia Riverdosa and Rodrigo Pedroso from São Paulo contributed to this report