A stream of world leaders has stepped forward to recognize Lula’s stunning political comeback, including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and China’s Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping. But Bolsonaro – a pro-dictatorship hardliner who has repeatedly hinted that he might not accept defeat – has yet to concede. His last message on Twitter – a quote from the book of Ephesians – was posted two minutes before midnight, on the eve of an election he lost by more than 2 million votes. With 100% of the votes counted, Lula secured 50.9% to Bolsonaro’s 49.10. Lula received 60.3 million votes while the right-wing incumbent had 58.2 million votes. ‘I’ll cry’: euphoria on Brazil streets as Lula wins – video The defeat makes Bolsonaro the first sitting president in Brazilian history to be voted out of office. Lula will take over on January 1, 2023. While Bolsonaro remained mute, key allies accepted the result as a sign that the populist’s power was slipping fast after four tumultuous years in power. Silas Malafaia, a prominent televangelist who has been one of Bolsonaro’s most vocal cheerleaders, tweeted: “The sovereign will of the people has been established.” Malafaia tweeted a quote from British author CS Lewis as his candidate’s defeat sunk in: “It’s not your job to succeed, but to do right. When you do that, the rest is up to God.” The newly elected pro-Bolsonaro governor of Sao Paulo, Tarquisio de Freitas, also acknowledged Lula’s victory, telling reporters: “The election result is overwhelming.” Another key ally, Lower House leader Arthur Lira, said: “The will of the majority, expressed at the polls, must never be questioned.” Even Sergio Moro, the pro-Bolsonaro judge who controversially jailed Lula ahead of the 2018 election before taking a job in Bolsonaro’s cabinet, acknowledged the left’s victory. “This is democracy,” Moro tweeted. Ricardo Salles, Bolsonaro’s former environment minister, tweeted: “The result of the most polarized election in Brazil’s history raises many concerns and the need to find ways to pacify a country that is literally divided in half. Now is the time to calm down.” But Bolsonaro and his three politician sons remained tight-lipped on Monday morning. News website UOL reported he was “undercover” at the presidential residence in Brasilia. By midday Monday, the only hint that Bolsonaro might be ready to accept defeat was a tweet from one of his closest allies, evangelical preacher Damares Alves, in which he wrote: “We lost an election, but we didn’t lose love us for us country… Bolsonaro will leave the presidency in January with his head held high.” The only Bolsonaro to break her silence was first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, who posted a quote from Psalm 117 on Instagram. “Praise the Lord, all you nations, praise him, all you people. For his mercy is great towards us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever,” he said. Reginaldo López, a Labor lawmaker who ran Lula’s campaign in the key state of Minas Gerais, said Bolsonaro’s silence spoke volumes about his distaste for democracy. “He emphasizes that he never had a love for democracy. Any serious Democratic candidate would immediately call the president-elect to congratulate him and acknowledge their defeat and their opponent’s victory.” Some observers have expressed concern that Bolsonaro may follow in the footsteps of his US ally Donald Trump and refuse to accept defeat in a bid to keep his political movement alive. José Roberto de Toledo, a political columnist for the UOL news website, thought it didn’t really matter whether Bolsonaro conceded defeat or not. “The Senate accepted [the result]. The Lower House accepted it. The electoral court accepted it. All the institutions have accepted it – and the military is quiet,” Toledo said, adding that he was probably enjoying a rare break from the president’s rants. “Bolsonaro is a poet when he is silent,” Toledo said. Instead of planning a coup or rebellion, Toledo joked that Bolsonaro was probably kicking a wall in the presidential palace, swearing at the first lady or practicing yoga breathing techniques to stay calm. “I think he really believed he was going to win. He believed his own lie. So he’s probably thinking, he’s coming to face defeat.” Political commentator Bernardo Mello Franco tweeted: “One by one, the Bolsonistas recognize Lula’s victory. That leaves the president without the political support to attempt any kind of coup-style adventure.” López also played down the risk that Bolsonaro would try to defy the result, pointing to the broad acceptance of Lula’s victory across the political spectrum and within the political establishment. “Brazil and its institutions immediately recognized the victory of President Lula. That was critical,” he said.
title: “Bolsonaro Remains Silent After Election Defeat To Lula As Key Allies Accept Result Brazil " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Jay Lindelof”
A stream of world leaders has stepped forward to recognize Lula’s stunning political comeback, including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and China’s Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping. But Bolsonaro – a pro-dictatorship hardliner who has repeatedly hinted that he might not accept defeat – has yet to concede. His last message on Twitter – a quote from the biblical book of Ephesians – was posted two minutes before midnight, on the eve of an election he lost by more than 2 million votes. With 100% of the votes counted, Lula secured 50.9% to Bolsonaro’s 49.10. Lula received 60.3 million votes while the right-wing incumbent had 58.2 million votes. ‘I’ll cry’: euphoria on Brazil streets as Lula wins – video The defeat makes Bolsonaro the first sitting president in Brazilian history to be voted out of office. Lula will take over on January 1, 2023. While Bolsonaro remained mute, key allies accepted the result as a sign that the populist’s power was slipping fast after four tumultuous years in power. Silas Malafaia, a prominent televangelist who has been one of Bolsonaro’s most vocal cheerleaders, tweeted: “The sovereign will of the people has been established.” Malafaia tweeted a quote from British author CS Lewis as his candidate’s defeat sunk in: “It’s not your job to succeed, but to do right. When you do that, the rest is up to God.” The newly elected pro-Bolsonaro governor of Sao Paulo, Tarquisio de Freitas, also acknowledged Lula’s victory, telling reporters: “The election result is overwhelming.” Another key ally, Lower House leader Arthur Lira, said: “The will of the majority, expressed at the polls, must never be questioned.” Even Sergio Moro, the pro-Bolsonaro judge who controversially jailed Lula ahead of the 2018 election before taking a job in Bolsonaro’s cabinet, acknowledged the left’s victory. “This is democracy,” Moro tweeted. Ricardo Salles, Bolsonaro’s former environment minister, tweeted: “The result of the most polarized election in Brazil’s history raises many concerns and the need to find ways to pacify a country that is literally divided in half. Now is the time to calm down.” But Bolsonaro and his three politician sons remained tight-lipped on Monday morning. News website UOL reported he was “undercover” at the presidential residence in Brasilia. By midday Monday, the only hint that Bolsonaro might be ready to accept defeat was a tweet from one of his closest allies, evangelical preacher Damares Alves, in which he wrote: “We lost an election, but we didn’t lose love us for us country… Bolsonaro will leave the presidency in January with his head held high.” The first Bolsonaro to break her silence was first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, who posted a quote from Psalm 117 on Instagram. “Praise the Lord, all you nations, praise him, all you people. For his mercy is great towards us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever,” he said. Later that afternoon, Senator Bolsonaro’s son, Flavio Bolsonaro, tweeted: “Thank you to each and every one of you who helped us save patriotism… We will hold our heads high and not abandon our Brazil.” Reginaldo López, a Workers’ Party lawmaker who ran Lula’s campaign in the key state of Minas Gerais, said Bolsonaro’s silence spoke volumes about his distaste for democracy. “He emphasizes that he never had a love for democracy. Any serious Democratic candidate would immediately call the president-elect to congratulate him and acknowledge their defeat and their opponent’s victory.” Some observers have expressed concern that Bolsonaro may follow in the footsteps of his US ally Donald Trump and refuse to accept defeat in a bid to keep his political movement alive. José Roberto de Toledo, a political columnist for the UOL news website, thought it didn’t really matter whether Bolsonaro conceded defeat or not. “The Senate accepted [the result]. The Lower House accepted it. The electoral court accepted it. All the institutions have accepted it – and the military is quiet,” Toledo said, adding that he was probably enjoying a rare break from the president’s rants. “Bolsonaro is a poet when he is silent,” Toledo said. Instead of planning a coup or rebellion, Toledo joked that Bolsonaro was probably kicking a wall in the presidential palace, finding the first lady or doing yoga breathing techniques to stay calm. “I think he really believed he was going to win. He believed his own lie. So he’s probably thinking, he’s coming to face defeat.” Political commentator Bernardo Mello Franco tweeted: “One by one, the Bolsonistas recognize Lula’s victory. That leaves the president without the political support to attempt any kind of coup-style adventure.” López also played down the risk that Bolsonaro would try to defy the result, pointing to the broad acceptance of Lula’s victory across the political spectrum and within the political establishment. “Brazil and its institutions immediately recognized the victory of President Lula. That was critical,” he said.
