SAO PAULO: Thousands of Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters on Wednesday called upon the Brazilian military to intervene and keep the right-wing president in power after he lost re-election over the weekend to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

After days of silence, Bolsonaro gave a short speech on Tuesday in which he neither accepted defeat nor congratulated Lula on his win, though his chief of staff took the podium afterward to say the president had “authorised” the transition to a new government.

Since then, his supporters have rallied in front of military installations in Brazil’s major cities to call for action.

“Federal intervention now!” chanted some of the thousands who gathered in front of the military command in the Latin American country’s biggest city, Sao Paulo, on Wednesday.

“We want a federal intervention because we demand our freedom. We do not admit that a thief governs us,” Angela Cosac, 70, said, next to a sign reading “SOS Armed Forces”.

Thousands gathered in the capital, Brasilia, chanting “civil resistance.” In rai­ny downtown Rio de Jane­iro, demonstrators were filmed by Brazilian media chanting: “Lula, thief, your place is in prison”.

Blockades

Protesters maintained road blockades across the country for the third consecutive day, though the number decreased from 271 on Tuesday to 167 on Wednesday.

In Sao Paulo, military police used tear gas to disperse a blockade on the main highway connecting the state with the central-west region of the country, after the Supreme Court ordered the use of “all necessary measures” to open the roads.

Trucks sounded their horns while demonstrators, wearing yellow football jerseys, waved flags in front of passing vehicles, according to scenes broadcast on local television.

The blockades have caused disruptions across the country. The main airport in Sao Paulo, Guar­ulhos, cancelled 48 flights due to the protests.

Bolsonaro said on Tuesday the roadblocks were “the fruit of indignation and a feeling of injustice at how the electoral process took place”.

“Peaceful protests will always be welcome.”

That was interpreted by some supporters as a call to maintain the demonstrations.

Lula’s Workers Party announced on Tuesday that his vice president-elect Geraldo Alckmin would lead the transition process, which would begin on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022