Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro finally spoke publicly for the first time since losing Sunday’s election by a narrow margin. Many expected, or were hoping, for a concession speech – but that didn’t happen. But it appears the short press event itself was all about the optics of accepting the loss.
He vowed to “follow the Constitution” and called for “order” in the country- and yet didn’t explicitly concede nor did he congratulate declared winner Lula da Silva on victory for the Brazilian presidency, which he’s expected to take over on January 1st. At the same time Bolsonaro didn’t contest the result either.
As one Brazilian national outlet said of the very short speech, “Jair Bolsonaro has not said whether he will accept the election result. He didn’t mention Lula and he didn’t even congratulate the new elected president. It was a subtle pronouncement.”
At the lectern now: @jairbolsonaro. pic.twitter.com/IA8y5mQprn
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) November 1, 2022
