The Brazil of President, Jair Bolsonaro broke his uncharacteristic silence about his electoral defeat yesterday saying it ‘hurts my soul.’
Bolsonaro had not spoken publicly since his narrow loss to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in bitterly-fought runoff elections on October 30, and he has only made one public appearance.
‘I’ve been silent for practically 40 days. It hurts, it hurts my soul. I have always been a happy person among you, even risking my life among the people,’ he said.
Following his defeat, thousands of his supporters blocked roads and demonstrated in front of military barracks to ask the army to prevent Lula from taking power.
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Brazil’s top electoral authority last month threw out a challenge by Bolsonaro’s party against his election defeat and fined it more than $4 million for bringing the case ‘in bad faith.’
Bolsonaro will remain in office until January 1.
Lula unveiled on Friday ministers in the key posts of foreign affairs, justice, defense, and chief of staff.
Bolsonaro had ‘authorised’ the transition to a new government based on constitutional provisions, he, however, declined to acknowledge his defeat to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The 67-year-old Bolsonaro, opened up after two days of silence following his razor-thin loss to Lula last weekend, which had sparked protests from his supporters across the country and fanned fears he would not accept the outcome.
In a speech that lasted just over two minutes, the far-right incumbent neither acknowledged defeat, nor congratulated Lula on his victory.
Bolsonaro’s appearance, however succinct, capped two days of tensions over how he would respond to such a narrow loss after months of alleging fraud in the electoral system.