Incumbent Bolsonaro Doesn't Admit Losing To Lula In Brazil's Presidential Election, But Allows Transition

Jair Bolsonaro (Wikimedia Commons/Beto Oliveira/Câmara dos Deputados)

JAKARTA - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday did not concede defeat in his first public statement since losing Sunday's election, saying protests by his supporters were the fruit of "anger and a sense of injustice" over the vote.

However, he stopped debating the election results and authorized his chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, to start the transition process with representatives from President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro took more than 44 hours to comment after the outcome of the vote was decided by electoral authorities, raising fears he would seek to cast doubt on the slim result.

Amid his silence, supporters blocked highways to protest his defeat, with some calling for a military coup to stop former president Lula from returning to power.

The highway blockade has disrupted fuel distribution, supermarket supplies and grain export flows to key ports, according to industry groups.

In his brief national address, Bolsonaro joked that journalists would miss him, thanking those who voted for him.

He also said he would abide by the constitution, which stipulates the transition of power in the country to take place on January 1.

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (Wikimedia Commons/Marcelo Freixo)

"The current popular movement is the fruit of anger and a sense of injustice about the way the electoral process is going," he said.

However, he said protesters should avoid destroying property or "obstructing the right to come and go," but not telling them to go home.

"Bolsonaro has not put out these fires. He spoke to his hardline supporters without criticizing the protesters on the streets," said political risk analyst Andre Cesar of Hold Legislative Advisors in Brasilia.

Separately, Bolsonaro's chief of staff and Vice President Hamilton Mourao began contact with Lula's camp to discuss the transition. Other allies, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, have been calling since Sunday for Bolsonaro's government to respect the election results.

In a statement, the Supreme Court considered that by allowing a transition of government, Bolsonaro recognized the election results.

Prior to Sunday's vote, Bolsonaro repeatedly made baseless claims, saying the electoral system was open to fraud and accusing electoral authorities of supporting his opponent.

Bolsonaro did not directly repeat that claim on Tuesday. But his reference to "injustice" in the electoral process suggests he has learned from post-presidency Donald Trump, the former leader of the United States' ideological ally, according to Leonardo Barreto, political analyst at Vector Consultancy in Brasilia.

Trump continues to reiterate the false claim that the 2020 US election was 'stolen' by a widespread scam, retaining a significant core of supporters who believe him.

"He will emulate Trump for the next four years to keep his conservative movement alive," Barreto said, predicting that the 2026 election would be a rematch between Bolsonaro and Lula's Labor Party.

Lula's win is a stunning revival for the 77-year-old former metal worker, after spending 19 months in prison on corruption charges before being overturned last year.

Lula has vowed to undo many of Bolsonaro's policies, including pro-gun measures and lax protection of the Amazon rainforest.