Bolsonaro’s silence encourages his radicals and ‘Lula’ opens up to the world

A deafening silence. After the electoral victory that will take Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva to the Planalto Palace as of January 1 of next year, the current head of state has not commented on the issue, which causes some uncertainty as to which will be the next steps of the president.

The truth is that Bolsonaro has not accepted the results and has not congratulated his political opponent either, after the competent authorities and a good part of the world leaders have already affirmed and respectively congratulated the union leader.

So far it is known that the nation’s vice president, Hamilton Mourão, sent a message of congratulations to his elected counterpart, Geraldo Alckmin, according to the chain O Globo.

However, eyes rest on the social networks of Flavio Bolsonaro, the president’s son, a member of the president’s close circle and the only one in this area who has spoken. “Thank you for each one who helped us rescue patriotism, who prayed, went to the streets, gave his sweat for the country that is working and gave Bolsonaro the largest vote of his life!” he said.

Jair Bolsonaro even hinted that he would not recognize an adverse result. This as part of a campaign he waged against the nation’s electoral system. A position that he left aside in the final stretch of the elections.

After knowing the results, ‘Lula’ referred to this individual. “I need to know if the president we defeated is going to allow a transition,” the union leader told hundreds of supporters in downtown Sao Paulo on Sunday night.

These have been the most disputed elections in Brazil since the return of democracy. It is also the first time that a president has lost re-election since it was established in 1997.

According to local media reports, Bolsonaro spent Monday between the Planalto Palace, headquarters of the Executive, and the Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence, meeting with several of his ministers and devising the tone of his first speech after falling defeated before ‘Lula’ According to the ‘O Globo’ chain, Bolsonaro plans to recognize, in some way, the results, but in parallel to criticize the electoral and judicial system, in line with his previous positions. What is not expected is that he congratulates his opponent.

That silence of more than 24 hours has fed its most radical faithful, including part of the important sector of truckers.

Bolsonarista truckers block highways in 25 states

Bolsonaro’s silence not only affects the institutions that safeguard the country’s democracy, but also its stability and citizen tranquility. At least 25 states in Brazil have seen at least 321 roadblocks by truckers who claim there was “fraud” in this Sunday’s elections. The data was provided by the Federal Highway Police (RPF).

Actions may affect agricultural exports. Brazil is one of the main food producers in the world, so the Bolsonaro reservation may have major implications. How long the blockades can last and whether they are aware of the effects they can cause is a concern generated among Brazilians by this sector of society recognized as one of the key voters of the right-wing leader.

For the moment, the Federal Justice has already issued several orders to the competent institutions of the State security forces to unblock the roads and fine the individuals who are leading the land cuts.

For its part, the Truckers’ Confederation (CNTTL) condemned the “anti-democratic” blockades. According to the statement issued by the organization, they want to disassociate the sector from these strikes and attribute the roadblocks to “groups that have the support of agribusiness representatives.”

One of the protesters who participates in these strikes is the businessman Alfonso Davi Bandira. “We do not accept what happened yesterday at the polls (…) we were deceived, we are in the hands of corrupt people, we do not accept being governed by a corrupt man,” he said.

The Reuters news agency confirmed that the truck drivers demanded a “military intervention”, in addition to affirming that they would not accept ‘Lula’ as president. The southern state of Santa Catarina, widely Bolsonarista, is the one that presented the most mobility problems this Monday. A good number of blockades were also reported in Mato Grosso do Sul, where an important cattle and grain sector is located, according to authorities.

In parallel, the congratulations to ‘Lula’ continued

The international community and its main organizations spoke out quickly on Sunday to support the victory of ‘Lula’, possibly in part to avoid acts of violence or other anti-democratic episodes such as those that occurred after the 2020 presidential elections in the United States.

This Monday, the congratulations continued. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, was one of the most prominent, holding a cordial phone call with ‘Lula’. The meeting began with a warm “Good morning, how are you doing President, congratulations” by Macron, who also stressed that his return was “formidable news”. Da Silva was happy for the “rescue of democracy.” Macron had previously spoken out on his Twitter account, calling the leftist’s victory “a new page in the history of Brazil.”

For its part, the White House also communicated with the candidate elected by the Workers’ Party. In a release released by the press room, it was learned that the US president, Joe Biden, praised during a telephone meeting the strength of the Brazilian democratic institutions after the “free, fair and credible” elections. Luiz Inácio and Biden pledged to continue working as partners to address common challenges, including combating climate change and safeguarding food security.

Another who did not want to overlook the victory of ‘Lula’ da Silva was the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, who traveled to Sao Paulo to personally congratulate the winner. At the end of the meeting, Fernández stated that “now we can talk more about the future than about the past, about what we have to face to move forward”.

“With ‘Lula’ we share the same view on the need for interaction in Latin America,” Fernández continued. “On the need for democracy to be consolidated throughout the continent, for electoral processes to be duly respected (…) to be able to grow as a region, as a whole, working together.”

Alberto Fernández also stressed that Argentina will be the first country that ‘Lula’ will visit before making his presidency official on January 1 of next year. Conversations with the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, with the German foreign minister, Olaf Scholz, and with his Chilean counterpart Gabriel Boric also marked the passing of the first hours after the electoral process.

The UN also congratulated the winner of the Brazilian elections in the voice of its Secretary General António Guterres. The governing body of world diplomacy trusted that any problem that exists with the result will be resolved through electoral means.

On Tuesday, 48 hours after the elections, the transition period is scheduled to begin, regardless of what Bolsonaro does.

With Reuters and EFE