Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday called on his supporters to stop the roadblocks. The demonstrators raised the order to protest the election results. Last Sunday, Bolsonaro lost the presidential election to his leftist rival and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“You are sad and expecting something different, and so am I. But I am appealing to the protesters: clear the roads,” Bolsonaro said in a video message on Twitter. “It does not seem to me that the blockade is part of legitimate demonstrations.”
The far-right Bolsonaro has asked his supporters to demonstrate elsewhere. “Other demonstrations in Brazil, which are taking place in the squares, are part of the democratic game.”
On Wednesday afternoon (local time), there were partial or complete roadblocks on 146 highways in 17 states, while 688 protests had already been dismantled. More than 200 highways were closed Tuesday morning.
Supporters gather at army bases
Some Bolsonaro supporters are gathering outside army bases, calling on the military to intervene to reverse the official results. According to the local news service st 1 There were demonstrations on Wednesday in at least 24 of the 26 states, including the Brasilia metropolitan area.
Former army officer Bolsonaro enjoys strong support from the military, even though the constitution prohibits them from interfering in politics.
It was not clear at first whether Bolsonaro would accept his defeat in the election. But on Tuesday he succumbed to the finding in a very short speech. He said his supporters’ protests stemmed from “anger at the outcome and a sense of injustice”.
