Brazil’s far-right president refuses to recognise rival’s election win

Jair Bolsonaro spoke from his official residence of Alvorada Palace (Picture: AP)

Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has finally broken his silence after losing his bid for re-election.

He lost what was widely seen as the country’s most important election in decades by a margin of 2,100,000 votes to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In a brief statement today, the outgoing leader avoided conceding defeat and did not mention the election results.

Mr Bolsonaro told reporters in the official residence in the capital Brasilia: ‘I have always been labelled as anti-democratic and, unlike my accusers, I have played within the four lines of the constitution.’

This is the very first time the politician has lost an election in his career that spans three decades, including seven races for a seat in Congress’s Lower House.

Much like former US president Donald Trump, Mr Bolsonaro’s two-day silence had fuelled concerns he was planning to reject the results of the race.

But his chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira said the transition to Mr Silva’s government will begin soon.

Mr Bolsonaro didn’t acknowledge his defeat (Picture: Getty Images)

Supporters of the far-right leader reacted to the results with violent protests (Picture: Getty)

Brazil’s Supreme Court later said in a statement that the president had recognised the loss by authorizing the start of that transition.

A Supreme Court spokesperson said Mr Bolsonaro was heading to the tribunal to meet justices.

His presidency was characterised by his administration’s downplaying of the Covid pandemic and the catastrophic deforestation of the rainforests in Brazil.

He claimed that his rival’s return to power would usher in communism, legalised drugs, abortion and the persecution of churches.

Hundreds came out to the streets, blocking major roads (Picture: Reuters)

Truck drivers blocked the traffic to the Residencial Bela Vista neighbourhood in Palhoca (Picture: AFP)

These are all things that did not happen during Mr Silva’s earlier eight years in office.

Among world leaders offering congratulations was Rishi Sunak, who said: ‘I look forward to working together on the issues that matter to the UK and Brazil, from growing the global economy to protecting the planet’s natural resources and promoting democratic values.’

Environmental groups also celebrated, taking the news as a positive sign for the global fight against environmental destruction and climate change.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.