Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, has urged truckers denouncing the election outcome on Sunday to clear the roadways and protest somewhere else.
Since the announcement that Mr Bolsonaro’s left-wing adversary Lula had won the election, proponents of the far-right president have put up hundreds of barriers across Brazil.
Mr. Bolsonaro stated that roadblocking was not a part of “lawful” demonstrations.
Bolsanaro encouraged followers to use alternative methods of protest.
Numerous ardent Bolsonaro supporters have disagreed with the outcome of Sunday’s presidential run-off, which has seen former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva win by a slim margin of 50.9% of eligible voters.
Truck drivers throughout the country set up barricades in protest of the outcome. They have persisted 3 days so far and have exacerbated significant disruption to the transportation of goods, which include fuel and food.
Police have battled to disassemble all of the barricades, though the federal highway patrol reported that over 700 have been removed.
Mr Bolsonaro addressed the roadblocks in a video posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday, saying, “I understand you are frustrated… Me too. But we must maintain our composure.
“I would like to appeal to you to clear the roads,” he said, adding that blocking the roads “obstructs our constitutional right to come and go.”
He did, however, empower demonstrators to find other ways to demonstrate and welcomed the numerous rallies held in his support, where people waved Brazilian flags as well as chanted anti-Lula slogans.
Some have also suggested military intervention to keep Mr Bolsonaro in power.
“This is extremely welcome and is a component of democracy,” he stated “.
Even though Mr. Bolsonaro has not openly admitted defeat, he did not challenge the election outcome in a speech on Tuesday.
In the speech, he also concurred to the transfer of power, which the Brazilian Supreme Court said shortly after that demonstrated that he had recognized the election outcome.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s presidency will end on January 1 once Lula is sworn in as his replacement.
Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, is now 77 years old and will be the oldest person to hold the position.
