Nov 1 (Reuters) – Brazil’s incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, still silent nearly 48 hours after losing the second round of the presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was due to speak on Tuesday and concede defeat, a the communications minister told Reuters.
Fabio Faria clarified that the outgoing president would not contest the results of Sunday’s tight ballot and that he had planned to meet with the judges of the Supreme Court.
Supporters of Bolsonaro, who continued their protest movement on Tuesday, set up roadblocks across the country, disrupting economic activity.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the police to intervene to end the blockades.
On Monday, thousands of pro-Bolsonaro truckers blocked highways. Protests have spread to 21 of Brazil’s 27 states.
São Paulo state governor Rodrigo Garcia announced fines against protesters to restore the flow of grain from agricultural states to ports and address supply problems reported by Brazilian supermarkets.
“We honest Brazilians are against the return of this band that looted the coffers of the state,” said one of the truck drivers opposed to the return to power of Lula, whose presidency from 2003 to 2010 was marked by widespread corruption.
“We will not move until this bandit is stopped,” he added.
The allies of Jair Bolsonaro and his team have contacted the opposing camp to discuss the terms of the transition. (Report Brian Ellsworh, Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle Brasilia; French version Sophie Louet and Alizée Degorce)
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