They don’t want a new president: truck drivers in Brazil set up more than 200 roadblocks, causing traffic jams that stretch for miles just before the holiday. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro is said to be giving a speech after a long silence. Advisors urged him to concede defeat.
Supporters of the voted-out right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro have set up more than 200 roadblocks in the South American country to protest the result of the presidential election. Many truck drivers were among the demonstrators, the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported, citing the police.
Accordingly, the blockades affected important traffic axes such as a city highway in the economic metropolis and a connecting road between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Miles of traffic jams ensued, severely hampering Brazilians’ progress ahead of the All Souls Day holiday on Wednesday.
According to the “Folha”, some protesters hung Brazilian flags on their trucks, and some also insulted the elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The feared outbreaks of violence did not materialize. However, according to “Folha” there were riots. The President of the Supreme Electoral Court ordered the police to end the blockades. Bolsonaro’s backer truckers are a powerful profession in Brazil because much of the country’s freight transport is done by road.
Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro is still silent on the victory of his challenger Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva in the presidential elections on Sunday. Communications Minister Fabio Faria said he would only publicly comment on his defeat on Tuesday. Bolsonaro returned to his residence on Monday evening to prepare his speech.
Earlier, the leader of an allied party, Claudio Cajado, said Bolsonaro would address the nation on Monday. It was not clear if Bolsonaro would concede defeat. Some advisers encouraged him to do so, Cajado said.
The left-wing ex-president Lula (2003-2010) narrowly won the runoff election for the presidency in the largest country in Latin America. He received 50.9 percent of the votes on Sunday, as announced by the electoral office in Brasília. The right-wing incumbent Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent.
