Police in Brazil said on Friday that they had almost completed removing hundreds of barricades set up by Jair Bolsonaro's far-right followers, who had been protesting since their candidate lost to seasoned leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Following Lula's close victory on Sunday, Bolsonaro's supporters occupied army facilities and blocked roads in an effort to retain the incumbent in office.
Brazil Election Results
The blockades threatened to wreck the biggest economy in Latin America, but they have largely subsided after Bolsonaro asked his supporters to "unblock the roads" on Wednesday.
Protestos no #Brasil #Brazilprotests #Brazil @BBCWorld @JovemPanNews @nytimes pic.twitter.com/5zkw4pzPkj
— registro (@registro) November 7, 2022
According to police, more than 960 obstacles have been removed. There were just 100 Bolsonaro-supporters protesting outside military posts in Brasilia on Friday morning, 300 in Sao Paulo, and none in Rio de Janeiro.
After the election, the former army captain Bolsonaro remained silent for over two days, which led to worries that he might try to hold onto power with the help of his hardcore followers.
But when a number of significant supporters accepted the outcome, he said on Tuesday that he would uphold the constitution and gave the go-ahead for the transition to begin in preparation for Lula's inauguration on January 1. But Bolsonaro has yet to publicly admit defeat or offer Lula his congratulations.
On Thursday, the outgoing president had a brief meeting with Lula's transition team leader Geraldo Alckmin, the vice president-elect. While Bolsonaro urged his followers to remove their barricades, he also backed "legal demonstrations," which fuels concerns that Brazil may still be in for turbulence.
A 12-year-old girl was shot during a Lula victory celebration in the city of Belo Horizonte on Wednesday and died on Thursday from her injuries, marking the most recent violent event associated with the acrimonious election campaign.
Per The Strait Times, the closest presidential election in Brazil's modern history saw former metalworker and president Lula, 77, win a historic third term with 50.9 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro's 49.1 percent.
Moraes Calls Brazilian Protestors 'Criminals'
On November 1, false claims that the head of Brazil's electoral court had been arrested spread, prompting Bolsonaro supporters to exult in Porto Alegre.
Not One Media Outlet Is Covering Protests In #BRAZIL, As Millions Of Protesters Hit The Streets, Questioning Electoral Integrity. pic.twitter.com/2lAMPqBG5d
— Planet Ponzi (@PlanetPonzi) November 7, 2022
The false allegations surfaced after Alexandre de Moraes, the chief election official of the country and a justice of the Supreme Court, ordered the state's military police to remove blockades that Bolsonaro supporters had set up on major highways throughout Brazil to protest the results of the presidential run-off election on Sunday.
Moraes insisted that the election was fair, and anyone who protests the outcome is breaking the law and will be prosecuted while there have been reports that Brazil was now on media blackout, as per Tommy Robin News.
According to Agencia Brasil, the blockades created significant delays for both travelers and essential transport services, such as the delivery of oxygen to hospitals. A huge throng is seen cheering in video shot in Porto Alegre by Joo Pedro Tavares. According to Brazilian news publication CartaCapital, many in the crowd were misinformed using an unnamed messaging app.
The Supreme Federal Court issued a statement announcing that Bolsonaro had met with judges and had formally acknowledged the results of the election held on Sunday, starting the process of transferring power.
A few hours before to the meeting, Bolsonaro delivered his first speech since losing the election to Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro stated he would "continue to execute all the precepts of our Constitution" in his speech, but he avoided outright admitting he lost the election or mentioning his successor.
The Bolsonarist organizations that oppose Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's electoral triumph have been referred to as criminals by Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes, and he has warned that they would be punished, as per Folha De S. Paulo.
