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Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets in several Brazilian cities to demonstrate against the victory of newly elected President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva. They ask for the intervention of the army to prevent the inauguration of ‘Lula’, scheduled for the first of January.
This Tuesday, November 15, the streets of Rio de Janerio and Brasilia were filled with supporters of current President Jair Bolsonaro who demonstrated against the results of the presidential election. Various demonstrations have taken place since ‘Lula’s’ victory on October 30.
Thousands of demonstrators protested in front of the barracks on the Day of the Proclamation of the Republic, celebrating the military coup that established the First Brazilian Republic on November 15, 1889. Several demonstrators held banners with messages such as “SOS armed forces”.
“There are several reports according to which there was fraud in the elections (…) it cannot be accepted,” confided Leandro de Oliveira, a demonstrator who was protesting in Rio de Janeiro.
Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters denounce “frauds” in the electronic voting system, although no irregularities in the process have been confirmed and international observers have validated the scrutiny. The same president has already questioned this voting system, which has been in force since 1996, several times.
The British Ministry of Defense has published a report indicating that “no inconsistency has been detected” in the result of the electronic ballot boxes.
Lula was elected on October 30 with 50.9% of the vote in a very close election and a polarized country. After his defeat, Bolsonaro remained silent for two days before speaking publicly. He did not formally acknowledge his defeat, although he did say that he would abide by the constitution and allowed the transition process to begin.
The ambiguous message of the army
For a few days following the election, Bolsonaro groups made roadblocks until the president asked his supporters not to block the roads. At that time, the retired Army captain justified the demonstrations and described them as “legitimate.”
However, the Armed Forces have already expressed their support for democracy and recognized the result of the elections. On the eve of this holiday, they reiterated in a message that they are at the service of the “freedom, independence and development” of Brazil and that they have “the noble mission of defending the homeland and guaranteeing constitutional powers and the law and the order”.
The message also specified that the Army “knew how to interpret the desires of the people it serves”, which led some Bolsonarists to interpret it as a call to demonstrate.
With EFE, AFP and Reuters
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