“I person ever been labeled arsenic anti-democratic and, dissimilar my accusers, I person ever played wrong the 4 lines of the constitution,” Bolsonaro, flanked by much than a twelve ministers and allies, told reporters successful the authoritative residence.
Bolsonaro mislaid Sunday’s contention by a bladed margin, garnering 49.1% of the ballot to da Silva’s 50.9%, according to the nation’s electoral authority. It was the tightest statesmanlike contention since Brazil’s instrumentality to ideology successful 1985 and marks the archetypal clip Bolsonaro has mislaid an predetermination successful his 34-year governmental career, including 7 races for a spot successful Congress’ Lower House.
Much similar erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro openly admires, the far-right incumbent has repeatedly questioned the reliability of the country’s electoral system, claiming physics voting machines are prone to fraud. He ne'er provided immoderate proof, adjacent erstwhile ordered to bash truthful by the electoral court.
That has led galore governmental analysts to pass that Bolsonaro appeared to beryllium laying the groundwork to cull predetermination results.
In caller days, and without a nationalist connection from Bolsonaro, motortruck drivers and different supporters of his blocked hundreds of roads crossed the country. Many said the predetermination had been fraudulent and immoderate called for subject involution and for Congress and the Supreme Court to beryllium disbanded.
Earlier Tuesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the national road constabulary to instantly wide the roads.
A bulk of the court’s justices backed the decision, which accuses the road constabulary of “omission and inertia.” Failure to comply volition mean its manager tin beryllium fined up to 100,000 reais (more than $19,000) per hour, beryllium removed from his duties and adjacent look arrest. Federal prosecutors successful Sao Paulo and Goias states said they had opened investigations into the blockades.
By noon Tuesday, road constabulary said they had removed 306 blockades, but much than 260 were inactive successful place.
“There is nary uncertainty that, adjacent though helium mightiness not beryllium straight liable for these actions, everything helium has done arsenic president stoked this, particularly questioning the electoral process and the ballots,” said Williams Gonçalves, a governmental subject prof astatine the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
“Bolsonaro is wholly isolated. Everyone liable for different institutions has already recognized the election’s results,” Gonçalves said.
In Sao Paulo — Brazil’s astir populous authorities and largest system — postulation jams astir the planetary airdrome led to dozens of formation cancellations, with videos connected societal media showing travelers rolling their suitcases on the road successful the acheronian trying to drawback their flights. The highways had been cleared by Tuesday morning, but airdrome officials said entree remained hard arsenic postulation was inactive backed up successful and retired of the airport.
There, Dalmir Almeida, a 38-year-old protester, told The Associated Press that aft completing 3 days of strikes, helium and others volition thrust their trucks to the subject barracks to inquire for their support. “The service volition beryllium successful our favor,” helium added.
At different roadworthy artifact successful Sao Paulo state, protesters acceptable tires connected fire. Several demonstrators were wrapped successful the Brazilian flag, which has been co-opted by the nation’s blimpish question for demonstrations. Huge lines of cars could beryllium seen snaking on the highway.
Fears of escalation grew arsenic the country’s leftist Landless Workers’ Movement, a cardinal state of da Silva’s that has agelong staged occupations of what it considers vacant oregon unused lands, asked its militants connected Tuesday to signifier demonstrations successful respective states to unblock roads.
Sao Paulo Gov. Rodrigo Garcia told a quality league that the clip for negotiations was over, and helium was not ruling retired the usage of unit by instrumentality enforcement.
“From present on, we are going to use what the (Supreme Court) determination determined, starting with fines of 100,000 reais per hr for each conveyance that is contributing to this obstruction,” helium said.
In Minas Gerais, a cardinal battleground authorities successful the election, a video connected societal media showed a protester telling a newsman from the O Tempo quality outlet that the predetermination was “fraudulent” and warned of aboriginal protests. “We won’t halt arsenic agelong arsenic we don’t person a effect from our president,” helium said. “We privation Bolsonaro successful 2023 and for the years to come.”
In Itaborai, a portion successful Rio de Janeiro state, an Associated Press newsman saw motortruck drivers kneeling successful beforehand of constabulary officers and refusing to evacuate.
Users connected societal media, including successful aggregate Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups with names similar “Paralysation,” shared demands that the subject instrumentality the streets, oregon that Congress and the Supreme Court beryllium disbanded and the president stay successful office.
Following the election, the electoral authorization blocked 2 twelve Telegram groups that defended a subject coup and called connected their much than 150,000 followers to signifier demonstrations, according to online quality tract UOL.
The Supreme Court’s determination connected Tuesday permits regular authorities constabulary forces to reenforce national road police, and the governors of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo states ordered them to deploy, quality outlets reported. The aforesaid was done successful 2018, erstwhile an 11-day trucker onslaught brought Brazil to a halt.
Bolsonaro commands wide enactment from the constabulary forces’ fertile and file, however, and it wasn’t wide however effectual their engagement would be. Da Silva’s Workers’ Party had accused Bolsonaro’s run of deploying instrumentality enforcement to make postulation jams and deter radical from voting connected Election Day, and video footage shared connected societal media showed officials stopping buses.
Alexandre de Moraes, who presides implicit the the nation’s electoral authority, said constabulary checkpoints delayed voters, but didn’t halt them from reaching the polls.
The 2018 stoppage caused nutrient prices to spike and near supermarket shelves without products arsenic state stations ran retired of fuel. It caused billions successful losses and revealed the immense powerfulness that truckers possess, peculiarly erstwhile they signifier done societal media platforms.
Bolsonaro, a lawmaker astatine the clip and months distant from winning that year’s statesmanlike election, was an outspoken protagonist of the truckers, who are present among his constituents. This year, his medication limited interstate substance taxes to assistance bring down prices and launched a fiscal assistance programme for truckers conscionable months earlier the election.
On Tuesday, dozens of journalists from some nationalist and planetary quality outlets remained camped extracurricular the statesmanlike residence successful the capital, Brasilia, awaiting immoderate motion that Bolsonaro mightiness talk astir the predetermination oregon the road blockades.
“Bolsonaro’s strategy here, truthful acold arsenic determination is one, seems to beryllium strategical ambiguity,” said Robert Muggah, co-founder of Igarapé Institute, a Rio de Janeiro-based deliberation vessel focused connected security. “He’s focused connected the street, and if chaos ensues truthful overmuch the better. There is simply a existent hazard that constabulary inaction could ignite simmering tensions.”
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