SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro will not contest his election defeat and will address the nation later on Tuesday, Communications Minister Fabio Faria told Reuters.
The presidential address may defuse protests by his supporters who have blocked highways in many states across Brazil, along with pro-Bolsonaro truckers calling for him to defy the electoral victory of leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro political allies, including his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira, have already begun to establish contact with the Lula camp to discuss a transition. Some, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, have publicly said the Bolsonaro government should respect the election result.
It is not yet clear what the outgoing president will say in his speech, but Communications Minister Fábio Faria told Reuters news agency that Mr Bolsonaro would not contest the election result.
Combative statements from the president in the past – such as that “only God” could remove him from office – mean there is a tense wait for him to appear in public.
Before the election, he had repeatedly cast unfounded doubts on the voting system.
