Bolsonaro speaks for the first time after losing to Lula, but he doesn’t give him victory

(CNN Spanish) – The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, finally spoke out two days after his defeat to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the second round of the presidential election. In his message, which lasted a few minutes, he said that he would continue to abide by the country’s constitution, but did not directly acknowledge the victory.

“As long as I am the president of the republic and a citizen, I will continue to fulfill all the requirements of our constitution,” Bolsonaro said without congratulating Lula da Silva, who won 50.9% of the vote over the party’s 49.1%. current president. justly, Bolsonaro’s prolonged silence has raised concerns He will not cooperate with the transfer of power.

The president-elect received the most votes in Brazil’s history: more than 60 million, breaking his 2006 record by nearly two million, according to the final tally of Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court.

Speaking from Alvorada Palace, the president’s official residence, Bolsonaro also made a comment to his opponents: “I have always been described as an anti-democratic, but contrary to what the accusers say, I have always played within the limits of the constitution. I have never censored the media or social networks.”

Image copyright Evaristo SA / AFP via Getty Images Image caption Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro makes his first public statement since his defeat by Lula da Silva in the Brazilian elections on November 1, 2022.

Bolsonaro’s message also did much to placate his supporters, who amid protests have wreaked havoc on the country’s highways since Sunday in a show of disapproval of Lula da Silva’s victory. The current president stressed that “the current popular movements are the result of discontent and a sense of injustice over the way the electoral process was conducted.”

He added: “Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcome. But our methods cannot be those of the left, which has always done harm to the population, such as storming property, destroying heritage and restricting the right to come and go…”

Now, Bolsonaro’s remarks come after his key allies acknowledged the election results, such as Vice President Hamilton Mourao, Chief of Staff Ciro Nogueira, and Congress President, Arthur Lira.

Indeed, Nogueira said in an announcement on Tuesday that he would work with the new government to begin the transition. He also referred to Lula as an “elected president.”

“It is a great honor to be the leader of the millions of Brazilians who, like me, stand up for economic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of opinion, honesty, and the green and yellow of our flag,” Bolsonaro concluded.

Bolsonaro supporters continue to block roads

Protesters are currently blocking roads at 267 points in the country, according to the Brazilian Highway Police, which has faced criticism within the country for the speed of its response.

Videos circulating on social media in Brazil appear to show highway police telling protesters that they will not disrupt or stop their protests.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, the Executive Director of the Road Police, Marco Antonio de Barros, defended his agency’s actions, saying that road cleaning is a “complex process.”

“Groups of up to 500 protesters, with children in their arms, and the elderly taking part. So the agency had to proceed with great caution.

Inspector General of Highway Police Wendell Mattos added that the organization does not support protests or the closure of federal highways. He also indicated that potential violations of the protocol are being investigated. “Sometimes two or three officers speak or act inconsistently with our orders. We are investigating whether there has been any misconduct by these officers,” Matos said.

His comments come after High Court of Justice judges ordered the deployment of government military police on Tuesday morning to break up the blockade that cut supply chains and delayed airports on Monday.

With information from Camilo Rocha, Rodrigo Pedroso, Jorge Ingels and Hera Hamayoundi, all from CNN.