Bolsonaro Won’t Contest Election Defeat To Lula, Minister Says, Amid Growing Tensions

Topline

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro–whose silence since narrowly losing to his left-wing opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday has created fears of revolt among his followers–will accept the election results in a speech on Tuesday, one of his ministers told Reuters.

Key Facts

Some of Bolsonaro’s most vocal supporters have called for the military to keep Bolsonaro in office, and since Monday truckers–one of Bolsonaro’s top constituencies–have blocked highways across Brazil as a protest (Federal Highway Police said highways had been partially or fully blocked in more than 200 locations on Tuesday).

However, Bolsonaro’s political allies have largely encouraged the president to resign, according to Reuters, and his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira has already been in contact with Lula’s team to talk about transition between the two administrations.

Officials hope Bolsonaro’s speech will help ease tension across Brazil and encourage his supporters to stop the highway protests, which agriculture and grocery lobbies have warned could hurt the availability of their products, according to Reuters.

News Peg

Bolsonaro–nicknamed the “Trump of the Tropics”—previously made multiple unfounded claims that Brazil’s voting system was rife with fraud, raising worries he would attempt to overturn the election, especially when he did not immediately concede to Lula.

Surprising Fact

Bolsonaro is the first Brazilian president to not win reelection since 1985, when democracy in Brazil was reinstated after a more than two decade military dictatorship.

Key Background

Lula–a 77-year-old former metalworker who served as Brazilian president between from 2003 to 2010–narrowly defeated Bolsonaro Sunday 50.9% to 49.1%, with a margin of roughly 2 million votes. Lula has vowed to undo many of Bolsonaro’s policies, like degregulating development in the Amazon, and ran a campaign promising to raise taxes on Brazil’s wealthiest. Lula was unable to run for president in 2018, when Bolsonaro was elected, because he was serving a prison sentence on corruption charges that were annulled in 2021.

Further Reading

Brazil Election: Left-Wing Lula Narrowly Beats Bolsonaro To Return To Presidency (Forbes)

Brazil Election: Police Accused Of Pro-Bolsonaro Voter Suppression In High-Stakes Presidential Race (Forbes)