The outgoing president’s silence this Monday kept Brazil alert in case he did not accept his election defeat
The whole world remained restless, concerned, expectant and alert in the face of the silence Jair Messias Bolsonaro decided to maintain at the post-election table this Monday. On his first day after the poll defeat – making him the first Brazilian president not to win reelection – his lack of response managed to attract media attention, despite some ministers from the outgoing cabinet asking him to speak in public. Late in the afternoon, he was still curled up in silence, though those around him didn’t rule out a belated statement.
Bolsonaro was defeated by leftist Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, who gained the trust of more than 60 million Brazilians (50.9%), while supported by 58 million (49.1%). It wasn’t a resounding defeat, but it was so deep that he wondered what to do. The far-right leader did not recognize the results of the polls. Much less did he call Lula to congratulate him. A talkative politician, he had never been silent for so long. It is the first time a presidential candidate has been silent after learning of his defeat.
Such silence has invited most analysts to imagine many hypotheses. There are those who assume that a man who was convinced of his victory, as he said after casting his vote in Rio de Janeiro, could have fallen into a state of desolation. So much dejection invaded Bolsonaro that he also did not want to receive or help any of his ministers and allies. He only answered the phone of Alexandre Moraes, president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) who called him to congratulate him on his participation in the great party of democratic elections.
That the silence and isolation he found himself in was caused by abandonment is still good news for many Brazilians. The last thing Jair Bolsonaro wrote on his Twitter account was a verse from the book of Ephesians that said, “Put on the full armor of God that you may stand against the snares of the devil, for our warfare is not against men.” , but against powers and authorities, against the rulers of this world of darkness… Ephesians 6:11-12 May God bless our beloved Brazil!
Throughout the campaign, Bolsonaro expressed serious doubts about the electoral system, voiced doubts about Alexandre Moraes, whom he discredited, and even hinted at the possibility of contesting the election for fraud. His phrase that he would get out of the Planalto Palace alone in prison, either dead or with a victory, echoed again in the minds of many Brazilians. That this silence was used today to prepare a reactive action would not be surprising, although it seems unlikely after the demonstrations of some of his allies and especially the recognition and congratulations that Lula da Silva has received from Europe, China, the United States United States and even Russia. However, tension was the order of the day. And in fact, hundreds of truck drivers related to the outgoing president have staged at least 60 demonstrations and traffic restrictions in 12 states of the country in protest of his defeat.
On election Sunday, Bolsonaro used his number in the polls to send 22 messages pointing out everything that needed to be done and what didn’t to lead a better Brazil. Nothing more has been heard from him since then.
However, the institutions and their allies have reaffirmed their democratic commitments. Arthur Lira, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and Bolsonaro’s husband, pointed out in several Brazilian media that “the will of the majority expressed in the polls should never be contested and that we will make progress in building a sovereign, fair and less unequal country.” Ricardo Sallés, former government minister and elected to the Chamber in these elections, spoke in the same vein: «The result brings many reflections and the need to find ways to pacify a country that is literally in is split in two. It’s time for rest,” he wrote on his social networks.
And the man who sent Lula da Silva to prison, Sergio Moro, elected senator for the state of Paraná and also a former minister under Bolsonaro, left a similar message on his Twitter account: “That’s how democracy is. The result of an election cannot be greater than the responsibility we have with Brazil. Let’s work for the union of those who want the good of the country. These statements clearly indicate that the political end of bolsonarism has not yet come.
The far-right leader’s silence stands in stark contrast to Lula da Silva’s triumphant speech, who at the age of 77 and 12 years after he led the country, was the option chosen by Brazilians hoping to return to a harmonious life, without hatred and without fear. “I’m going to rule for 215 million Brazilian men and women and not just those who voted for me. There are no two Brazil: we are a single country, a single people, a great nation… This country needs peace and unity, this people is tired of looking at the other and seeing the enemy, and being feared and be destroyed. It’s time to lower our weapons. Weapons kill and we chose life. Lula promised above all to fight the misery, the great reason of his life, he pointed out.
Flavio Bolsonaro, one of the outgoing president’s sons, appealed to his father’s voters on Monday with the following sentence: “Let’s lift our heads and don’t give up our Brazil.” His statement came about 20 hours after the far-right leader’s defeat. He was the first to break the silence of the presidential palace, where the lights went out two hours after the election results were announced.
The meaning of his words fed all kinds of theories. Senator for Rio de Janeiro, Flavio thanked his father’s followers for giving them their vote. “Thank you to everyone who helped us save patriotism, who prayed, prayed, took to the streets, sweated for the country that is doing well and gave Bolsonaro the biggest voice of his life! Let’s lift our heads and don’t give up our Brazil! God commissioned!” he wrote on a social network.
Late in the afternoon, Jair Bolsonaro remained petty and everyone was aware that such an attitude could trigger volatility in the financial markets, with investors assessing the impact of Lula’s election and taking into account the risk that questioning could pose. bring. president, according to the Reuters agency. The Sao Paulo Stock Exchange fell 2.12%, while the dollar, which had started day trading at 5.40 reais, fell to 5.2 at noon.
Lula’s team is aware that the transition of powers will not be easy and assumes that leaving staff will not be a convenience. In the coming weeks, 50 people will be involved in the data sharing process to accelerate the new cabinet.
Source: La Verdad
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