Bolsonaro Gives First Address Since Losing Brazil's Presidential Election

Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday, November 1, broke his silence on the results of Brazil’s presidential election run-off, which he lost to former president Lula da Silva.

In a short speech from the presidential palace in Brasilia, Bolsonaro thanked “the 58 million Brazilians who voted for me” and addressed supporters protesting the election results.

“The current popular movements are the result of indignation and feeling the injustice of how the electoral process was carried out,” the president said, as reported by Agencia Brasil. “Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcome, but our methods cannot be those of the left, which have always harmed the population, such as invading property, destroying the patrimony and the right to come and go.”

Supporters of Bolsonaro blocked major highways across Brazil on Monday and Tuesday causing major delays, including for the delivery of oxygen to hospitals, Agencia Brasil reported.

The president did not directly acknowledge he lost the election or mention his successor, but said he would “continue to fulfil all the commandments of our Constitution.”

“It is an honor to be the leader of millions of Brazilians who, like me, defend economic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of opinion, honesty, and the green and yellow colors of our flag,” he said.

Shortly after Bolsonaro’s speech, Brazil’s supreme court officially recognized the results of the election and said that Bolsonaro’s speech marked the beginning of the transfer of power. Credit: President Jair Bolsonaro via Storyful