Brazil’s incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro appears to have accepted election defeat, reportedly telling members of the supreme court that “it’s over”.
That’s after the outgoing president fell silent for nearly two days following Sunday’s vote — before failing to explicitly concede defeat in a press conference on Tuesday.
After a private meeting with Bolsonaro, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Edson Fachin said the conservative leader had admitted “it is over. So, let’s look ahead”. The justice made the comment in a video broadcast on local media.
Meanwhile, thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters gathered at the gates of army barracks across Brazil on Wednesday demanding federal intervention to prevent leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from coming to power.
Since then, tensions have soared in Bolsonaro strongholds. His supporters have urged the military to intervene, and many have blockaded motorways after months of alleging fraud in Brazil’s electoral system.
In Sao Paulo, thousands of Bolsonarists were demonstrating outside the military headquarters, while a similar demonstration in Brasilia also brought together thousands of protesters — some of whom reportedly calling for “civil resistance”.