Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who was voted out of office in Brazil, set up more than 200 roadblocks in the South American country to protest the result of the presidential election. Many truck drivers were among the demonstrators, the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported, citing the police. Accordingly, the blockades affected important traffic axes such as a city highway in the economic metropolis and a connecting road between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Miles of traffic jams ensued, severely hampering Brazilians’ progress ahead of the All Souls Day holiday on Wednesday. According to the “Folha”, some protesters hung Brazilian flags on their trucks, and some also insulted the elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The feared outbreaks of violence did not materialize. However, according to “Folha” there were riots. The President of the Supreme Electoral Court ordered the police to end the blockades.
The left-wing ex-president Lula (2003-2010) narrowly won the runoff election for the presidency in the largest country in Latin America. He received 50.9 percent of the votes on Sunday, as announced by the electoral office in Brasília. The right-wing incumbent Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent.
Lula team prepares for government change
Bolsonaro then went underground and had not commented 24 hours after the result was announced. His supporter truckers are a powerful profession in Brazil because much of the country’s freight is transported by road.
Meanwhile, the team led by election winner Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is preparing for a change of government without the help of the incumbent head of state. “I hope that normality will come for the good of Brazil and the Brazilian people. If the president, if Jair Bolsonaro doesn’t want to participate, fine,” said the leader of Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) and head of the election campaign, Gleisi Hoffmann, on TV -Channel Globo News. “The change of government is regulated by law. This allows us to carry out the transfer of power, regardless of the involvement of the president.” Lula will take office on January 1, 2023.
