Brazil’s Bolsonaro to Break Silence and Accept Defeat,

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro will not contest his electoral defeat and plans to address the nation later on Tuesday, his Communications Minister said. According to reports, growing number of political allies advised him to Concede.

Some of Bolsonaro’s hardline supporters have called for military intervention to keep Bolsonaro in power and stop leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. Pro-Bolsonaro truck drivers blocked federal highways.

The presidential address may defuse the protests across Brazil by small groups of his supporters, which have begun to cause “economic disruptions, drawing calls from farm and retail groups for Bolsonaro to accept defeat and begin a transition.”

Bolsonaro has not made public remarks or spoken with Lula since the race was decided on Sunday evening.

Close political allies, including his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira and his Vice President Hamilton Mourao, have begun to make contact with the Lula camp to discuss a transition. Others, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, called on the Bolsonaro government to ‘respect’ the election result.

The powerful agricultural lobby CNA, representing farmers who were important campaign donors for Bolsonaro, said it was ready for conversations with the incoming government, which will take office on Jan. 1.

Brazilian supermarkets lobby Abras reported supply problems due to the protests and appealed to Bolsonaro to resolve the situation before shop shelves begin to empty.

Sao Paulo Governor Rodrigo Garcia ordered hourly fines of 100,000 reais ($20,000) on anyone found blocking highways and dispatched state police to start clearing blockades. On a major route west of the state capital, “police fired tear gas and rubber bullets” to break up a demonstration.

Reuters /Shakirat Sadiq