The federal highway police (PRF) said truckers were blocking highways at 271 points, partially or completely, as part of protests that spread to 23 of Brazil’s 26 states after Bolsonaro’s defeat by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in second round of elections. Sunday. Police said another 192 barricades had been cleared. Judge Alexandre de Moraes called on the PRF to lift all blockades, organized mainly by truckers, a key constituency of the Bolsonaro government that has benefited from lower diesel costs. Some truckers posted videos calling for a military coup to stop Lula, a leftist who served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010, from taking office. Bolsonaro has remained silent more than 36 hours after his defeat and has neither conceded the race nor called out the president-elect. Moraes was quickly joined by six other judges in a virtual hearing in the early hours of Tuesday as they formed a majority on the 11-member court to uphold his decision, imposing fines on PRF director general Silvinei Vasques if he fails. act to clear the roadblocks. The blocked highways included key roads used to transport grain from rural states to ports, as well as a major road connecting the two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The main access road to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport, the country’s busiest, was also blocked. Although Bolsonaro has remained tight-lipped about his election defeat, his political allies and associates have already begun reaching out to Lula’s camp to discuss a transition. Some have publicly stated that the Bolsonaro government should respect the election result. Communications Minister Fabio Faria told Reuters that Bolsonaro was expected to speak about his defeat by Tuesday, although it was unclear whether the incumbent would accept Lula’s victory.
